Shades of Crimson
by Onileo
Summary: A dark tale of romance between Konoha's flower and the Akatsuki's immortal. Rated for Hidan, graphic violence and lemon.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: A little note on the timeline. Pein's invasion of Konoha is delayed by five years, giving our ninja time to mature into adults. The actual invasion will occur during the course of the story. Everything before that is nearly the same, except the time limits on the sealing jutsu, of course. The events that happen during the invasion and everything after is a complete departure from canon.

Warning: The first half of this story is going to be very dark in nature. We are talking about Hidan here. So, if you are sensitive, please don't read it. I don't want flamed for something you were adequately warned about!

Shades of Crimson

Chapter 1

The woods were still and quiet. Birds were silenced by the oppressive mid-afternoon sun. Few animals scurried across the dry earth, baked hard in the summer heat. No breeze stirred to relieve the pensive hush that echoed through the trees. It was as if the world were holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. Only the slightest spike of chakra signaled the arrival of a visitor to this rarely disturbed section of forest.

The ground rumbled slightly as a figure began emerging from the ground. Hard greenery could be seen first, followed by softer material in black and red. Mandible-like appendages parted, and hard golden eyes quickly scanned their surroundings. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, Zetsu dispelled his jutsu and stepped forward. Spying his objective, a sunken pit in the middle of the clearing, he walked to the edge and peered downward.

The chakra seals and hidden traps had long ago weakened and dissipated. It had been five years, after all. It seemed that no one had bothered to come out and replace them in that time. Brave tufts of grass poked out between the barren rocks in the middle of the pit, taking nourishment from the decaying leaves and deadfall of the previous autumn. With a heavy sigh, Zetsu bent down and began the task that would deem his mission a success.

As he manually began removing the stones from the pit, his thoughts began to swirl and wander, and soon his two halves were deep in a muttered conversation. "_Silly fools, they shouldn't have left this place so unguarded._ **Maybe, but who's the bigger fool? We're the ones that are desperate**."

"_Don't sulk. I'm sure Leader-sama has a good reason for this mission._"

"**I hope so. You remember how annoying he can be.**"

"_That is true. Just be glad we're keeping busy. It's been a long time since we got to do anything interesting._"

"**Yes, but we're not the best one for this. He should have sent Kisame.**"

"_He is strong, but his chakra would have been more easily detected._"

"**Hn.**"

Zetsu fell silent as he continued his task. He had removed enough earth to be able to jump down into the pit and continue from there. A fine sheen of sweat appeared on his divided face as the heat started to affect him. An hour passed and he continued on. The faster he completed his mission, the better. He was just about to stop and rest when he picked up a large stone and discovered something lying underneath that was definitely not a rock. A triumphant smirk crossed his lips as he examined it. It was a foot.

Badly damaged, but very recognizable. The sandal and cloth surrounding the appendage had nearly rotted away, but the flesh underneath was surprisingly intact. Pulling a large sack from beneath his cloak, Zetsu gently picked up the foot and placed it inside. Setting it in one corner of the pit, he turned back around to search some more. A few tossed rocks later, and he spied bits of dusty silver poking out. Clearing away more rubble, he picked up Hidan's head.

It was exactly the way he remembered it. Smooth face, thin eyebrows and angled features. There were dark lines running down the corners of his mouth, where he had evidently bled and it dried. His hair was a good deal longer, reaching to where his shoulder blades would have been, had they been attached. His eyes were open, the amethyst color clouded and frozen. There was no detectable life to be seen.

With a shrug, Zetsu dropped the head into the bag with the foot and moved on. Another hour and he reached the floor of the pit. After meticulously going over every inch of it, he was satisfied that he found everything. Tying a knot in his now bulging sack, he tossed it over his shoulder and jumped out of the pit. He started walking off through the woods, unable to use his traveling jutsu with such a large load. It irritated him, having to go so slowly, but it couldn't be helped. With a sigh, he kept a lookout for enemy ninja while he thought about the mission he was assigned to immediately following his return.

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"Stop, Ino! Not like that, like this." Sakura said, bringing the blonde to a quick halt. Stepping forward, the pink haired kunoichi placed her hand over the melon they were practicing with. Her fingertips glowed a soft green as she expertly knitted the gash in the rind closed. While she worked, she explained the technique...again. They had just started Ino's daily training session at the hospital, and already things weren't going well. For some reason, her friend seemed more distracted than usual.

Sakura had barely stepped back when Ino, in a fit of anger, drew her kunai and plunged it into the melon, ripping a deep, ragged gash in the fruit. Glaring, she stuck her tongue out at it. It was childish, she knew, but she couldn't help it. It was her fourth try already, and she seemed to be getting nowhere. Releasing a frustrated sigh, she placed her weapon back into its pouch and let her hand hover as she tried to mold her chakra again. This time, when she sent her chakra into the rind, the seeping cut responded, slowly but surely closing the gap as it knitted together from the ends. Ino smiled triumphantly.

"Like this?" she asked in an excited voice.

"You got it!" Sakura cheered her.

Sakura's happy smile soon faded when she heard a cough sound from the doorway. Turning her head, she nodded to the masked ANBU standing there, waiting for their attention. Ino looked up as well, the hard earned green glow receding from her fingers. The ANBU studied the girls from behind his mask for a moment, before straightening to address them. "Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, the Hokage has called an emergency meeting. All the former members of Team Asuma and Team Kakashi are ordered to report to the Hokage's office immediately."

Without waiting for a response, he disappeared as silently as he had come. Sakura turned to look at her friend. Ino had her arms crossed over her chest and she was trying hard to control the emotions flashing over her face. Opening her mouth to ask what was wrong, Sakura was cut off as the blonde shook her head and walked out of the room. Puzzled by the normally bouncy girl's behavior, she ran to catch up. Reaching her just as she passed through the double doors leading outside, she grabbed, Ino's shoulder, pulling her to a stop.

"Ino, what on earth is wrong with you? Ever since you arrived at the hospital, you've been acting strange." she asked a little forcefully.

Ino looked at her longtime rival and best friend. Then she studied the ground. "I'm sorry, Sakura." she said, fighting back the tears that threatened to well up in her blue eyes. "It's just that today is exactly five years since Asuma-sensei...since he..." she trailed off, unable to finish.

Just when her tears were going to win their battle, a strong hand landed on her shoulder and she was enveloped in the comforting chakra of a familiar presence. "Ino-chan, here you are! Did you get the summons to the Hokage's office?" Choji asked, smiling warmly down at her.

Returning his smile gratefully, Ino nodded. She was saved. There was no way she could cry around Choji. It would be too selfish a thing to do. After all, it was Shikamaru who would be the most affected by today. They had to be strong and support him. Taking a deep breath, she ran a hand through her hair and turned to Sakura. "We'd better get going. Tsunade-sama will have our heads if we're late!" she said cheerily.

Smiling, Sakura wrapped an arm around Ino's shoulders when Choji released her. They started down the street, the larger shinobi trailing behind them. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Ino. She knew exactly how the other girl felt. She had her fair share of anniversaries to mourn as well. Sasuke's defection, Chiyo-sama's death, even the deaths of Haku and Zabuza entered her mind on their respective dates each year.

She held back a sigh, and kept her smile in place. The life of a shinobi was bittersweet, even on the best of days. It wouldn't do any good to let her dark feelings keep her from living. Tomorrow was never guaranteed, so it was best to enjoy the good things you have and die with honor and no regrets. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sight of the Hokage Tower. They had finally reached the base and began climbing the massive amount of stairs.

Knocking politely on the door, Sakura was given the command to enter. Stepping inside the spacious office, she was surprised to see Shikamaru already there. She figured he would be the last one there, next to Kakashi, of course. But there he was, standing next to Tsunade. The lazy look he usually wore was gone, a hard frown on his face and bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for days. Bowing to Tsunade, she stood off to the side, waiting on the others to arrive.

Sai walked in a few minutes later. He bowed to the Hokage, fox-like grin in place. He had gotten better with expressing his emotions to other people, but tense situations always seemed to send him into a sort of regression, and he often used his practiced smile to cover his nervousness. Straightening, he turned and walked over to Sakura. She greeted him with a friendly wave as he stood quietly next to her.

Since Naruto was gone, training at a temple, he wouldn't be present. That just left Kakashi. The minutes stretched by and Sakura watched her shishou's face go from thoughtful, to stern, to downright angry. Finally he arrived, perching on the open windowsill behind her, book in hand. Sakura sighed at her former sensei. Some things just never change. Tsunade swiveled around in her chair to glare at him.

"If I didn't think it would take another year for you to get back up here, Kakashi, I'd punch your ass back out that window. Where were you?" she demanded.

Kakashi looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you see, there was this young girl down the street. She dropped her groceries and I couldn't just walk by without helping her."

"Yeah, right. Just get in here so we can start." Tsunade said, waving him inside. Kakashi slipped in the window and stood behind Sakura and Sai. With everyone present, she laced her fingers together and cleared her throat. "We have a problem and I believe it may be linked to all of you. Shikamaru, would you please tell everyone what you found last night?"

Said jounin slipped his hands in his pockets and slouched a little. Looking over at his teammates, he passed them a look that Sakura couldn't quite decipher. It seemed to be a mix of worry, pain and fear. They evidently knew exactly what it meant, because Ino frowned and began fiddling with her earrings, and Choji once again lay his hand on her shoulder, stilling her fidgeting. Giving the others a precursory glance, he began to speak.

"I was out on a walk on the Nara clan lands when I discovered that we had had an intruder. The pit where the Akatsuki, Hidan, was buried is empty. The rocks covering him had been removed and his remains are gone. I came back to the village and had Kiba bring Akamaru to the site, to get any information on who had been there. He informed me that the scent is an unfamiliar one, and is at least a week old. We followed it until dawn, then came back to report it to Tsunade-sama." he said in a monotone.

Sakura frowned as an uneasiness settled in her stomach. Who would be depraved enough to dig up someone that had been buried in the ground for five years? And more importantly, what were they planning to do with the remains? Bring him back to life? It was a laughable thought. After such a long time, his body would be so deteriorated, that it would take a miracle and then some to even recognize it as human. Let alone find some way to infuse him with life.

She had been so lost in thought, that Sakura failed to notice the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the room. Glancing around, she took note of everyone's faces. Tsunade and Kakashi looked troubled. Ino and Choji looked angry. Shikamaru looked tired, but his face still held its expression of steel. And poor Sai looked completely oblivious. His apparent awkwardness suddenly reminded her of Naruto. She wished he were here. He would know what needed to be done next. Probably, he would jump up and exclaim that he was going after whoever it was right away and Tsunade better believe he would be successful.

No one had spoken up yet, so Sakura decided to break the tension. Clearing her throat in a way that was much like Tsunade, she looked at the Hokage. "So, are we forming a reconnaissance and retrieval team?" she asked.

"No. I sent Neji, Shino and Kiba out this morning, along with Yamato. Once they return with a report, I will decide what's to be done next. I just thought you all deserved to know. It could be dangerous for each of you, since you were the ones who defeated Hidan and his partner, Kakuzu. Whoever took the remains might also be looking for revenge. I want you all to keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you see anything suspicious." Tsunade replied.

"We could be dealing with Akatsuki, so never let your guard down." added Kakashi, his visible eye serious for once.

Turning her head to look at her teammate, Sakura nodded. Tsunade dismissed them then, and everyone except Shikamaru filed out of the office. Evidently, he still had things to discuss with the Hokage. Sakura had made it to the top of the stairs when she was pulled to a stop by Ino. She had a worried look on her face, which she was trying valiantly to hide behind a grin.

"Hey, Forehead. Is it alright if I crash at your place tonight? I feel like I need to keep an eye on you, and make sure you don't do anything crazy."

"Sure, Ino-pig. I have some things to do at the hospital, but I'll be home by six. You can come by then if you want." Sakura replied with a smile. She knew the real reason Ino wanted to come over. She didn't want to be alone. Not that she was scared, but when you're by yourself, depressing and disturbing thoughts had a way of manifesting, no matter how much you try to stay distracted. Sakura had plenty of experience with that.

"Sound's great! Shika and Choji are taking me to dinner tonight, so I'll be there right after we're finished." With a wave, Ino bid her goodbye and headed down the stairs after Choji, who had already made it to the bottom and was starting off down the sidewalk. Sakura waited until she had disappeared from sight before descending the steps. Maybe after work she would stop by the dango shop and video store. Then they could have a relaxing night in. The thought of it made Sakura smile as she made her way back to the hospital.

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Zetsu waited patiently outside the walls of Konoha until the beginning of the pre-dawn hours. He camouflaged himself to an oak tree, and had dozed off and on all night, until at last, even the nocturnal creatures settled down and all was still. Sinking into the ground, he tunneled his way under the wall. Several hundred feet and he emerged in the sewers. His nose wrinkled up at the smell, but he started down the narrow walkway without hesitation. He had done much worse than this.

He followed his mental map until he reached the area of the village where he knew the medic-nin's apartment was located. His couple of days spent gathering information at the local park had been well worth his time. Now he knew where she lived, where she worked, even what time she got up in the morning. Now he was ready to put his plan in action. Sliding into the sewer wall, he tunneled upward until he emerged in the alley beside her building.

She was on the first floor. Camouflaging himself with the building, he kept his chakra carefully masked as he looked for a decent point of entry. He didn't have to search long. As he rounded the corner, he noticed that her kitchen window was open, the marigolds she kept in a pot there swaying lightly in the night breeze. He edged closer. That was when he noticed the slight pulse of the chakra seals around the window.

A smirk found his lips. That might be enough to deter most ninja, but not him. Activating his Mayfly jutsu, he merged with the wall, sliding beneath the barrier and emerging on the other side. It was a tricky maneuver, with no room for error, but one he had done many times. Once his jutsu dispelled, Zetsu stood frozen, getting a feel for his surroundings and locating any nearby chakra signatures.

He was dismayed to discover two people in the apartment. From what he understood, Haruno Sakura lived alone. Maybe she had a boyfriend?

"_We should wait until tomorrow. Two people could be a problem._" Zetsu's light side whispered to himself.

"**It won't be a problem. Let's just be more cautious**." his dark side answered.

"_If we get caught, it's your fault_."

"**Shut up and go already.**"

Falling silent, Zetsu walked to the kitchen door. Following the nearest chakra signature, he headed down the short hall until he came to the correct room. He was surprised to find that it was a living room, and not a bedroom as he expected. There, lying passed out on the couch, was his target and a blonde kunoichi. They were both in pajamas, hair down, with a bottle of sake and a box of dango between them. The bright blue glow from the television told him that they had been watching a movie.

Debating on what should be done with the blonde, Zetsu stood in the doorway for several long minutes. He could try to take the medic-nin without waking her. No, too risky. If she woke before he was gone, his chances of escape were slim. He could always eat her, the dark side suggested. No, that would take too long, and he was already short on time. Then an idea struck him. It would take him longer to get away, but if he took the blonde as well as Haruno, Leader-sama could use her as a bargaining chip to force the pink haired kunoichi into compliance. If he ran into trouble before he returned to the base, he could always either dump her or kill her.

Finally decided, Zetsu reached into his cloak and pulled out a syringe. Luckily, he thought to bring extra doses of tranquilizer. He should have just enough to get them both back to Hidden Rain before he ran out. He stepped over to the arm of the couch. If he stood directly in front of them, they might sense him and wake up. The blonde was closest. Leaning down, he deftly slid the needle into her bare arm and pressed gently on the plunger. She never even stirred. One down, one to go.

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Something wasn't right. She needed to wake up and see what it was. Sakura tried to fight her way through layers of sleep and open her eyes. Her body wouldn't cooperate. The exhaustion of a late night mixed with the sake kept pulling her back down. Resting for just a moment, she tried again. Suddenly, something was pulling her upward. It was pain. Something had stung her arm. Her eyelids finally fluttered.

Raising her lids halfway, Sakura tried desperately to bring the world into focus. She could feel it clearly now. Something was definitely wrong. She had to wake up. She had to warn Ino of the danger. But the world wouldn't cooperate. It was a blurry mass of blue, black, white and green. She could almost make out the shape of a face, but it was weird. Half the time it looked black, and the rest of the time, it looked white.

Sakura tried to sit up and clear her head, but her body was sluggish. Another wave of tiredness swept over her. Finally her brain caught on to what was happening. The sleepiness, the sting, the blurry vision. Someone had drugged her. Panic set in and she tried to fight it, using the added adrenaline to her advantage. She attempted to gather her chakra to eradicate the drug, but it was already too late. The most she could manage was to speed up her metabolism before she slipped back into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Pain roared through Sakura's head as she fought for consciousness. Cursing her hangover, she sat up in bed, clutching her temples. When her bleary eyes opened, she looked around in confusion. This wasn't her bedroom. Where was she? The last thing she remembered, Ino had come over to her apartment, and they had spent the evening watching television and eating dango. So what happened since then?

Struggling against her pounding head, she tried to remember anything that could tell her how she managed to find herself in someone else's bedroom. Blurry memories finally surfaced, and she was immediately alert. That's right. Someone had drugged her. Shinobi senses fully utilized, she took in her condition and surroundings. She was extremely dehydrated and hungry, which meant she had been out for several days. She wasn't bound, but she could feel the strong pulse of chakra seals on the door and window. And she was alone. Where was Ino?

Moving to sit on the edge of the bed, Sakura tried to shake off her lethargy. Her stomach revolted at the movement, heaving violently. Oh, Kami, she was going to be sick. Eyes darting around quickly, she spied a bathroom adjoining the room. Stumbling forward, with one hand to her temple, she managed to make it just inside the door before she retched violently in the sink. Gripping the porcelain with shaking hands, she stood there until her breathing had returned to normal and her stomach ceased its protests.

Slowly lifting her head, Sakura gazed at her reflection in the mirror. It was shocking. Her face was very pale and dark shadows hung under her eyes. Her pink hair was tangled and knotted, with bits of leaves and dirt stuck in it, as if she were drug through the woods carelessly. Her eyes looked slightly dull. She figured she probably still had a small amount of the tranquilizer in her system. Luckily, she had full use of her chakra. But with her body so weakened, it would be depleted quickly.

Turning her chakra inward, she checked all of her organs for damage. Then she proceeded to flush the rest of the drugs from her system. She looked back into the mirror, satisfied to see that her eyes were considerably brighter. Then the world started spinning as her exhaustion caught up with her. Stumbling back across the bedroom, she sat down on the edge of the bed, gripping the blankets and willing the walls to stop moving.

Frustration set in. She should be looking for a way out of here, not sitting around. But she was too weak to do anything at the moment. She needed food and water to get her strength back. Which meant she would have to face her captor or captors. Before she had time to think of anything more, Sakura felt two chakra signatures outside her door. Her head snapped up to watch the door where the seals were being removed. She winced, but the pain was considerably less.

The door cautiously opened and two figures stepped inside, blocking her only way out. It was a man and a woman, and Sakura had to force her jaw to not hang open in surprise. They were about as different as two people could be. The man was actually a plant...man... thing. She didn't really know what to call it. He had mandibles like a venus fly trap and what she could see of his face through the greenery astounded her. His face was divided perfectly down the middle. One half was stark white, while the other was as black as midnight. His gold eyes stared at her with a hungry intensity. Sakura suppressed the urge to shudder under his gaze and looked away.

The woman on the other hand, looked perfectly normal. Sure, her hair was a nice shade of cerulean, but Sakura herself had a strange hair color. Other than that and a small ball piercing peeking out from her bottom lip, she could easily pass you on the street and go unnoticed. That was until Sakura saw the way they were dressed. Both wore black, high-collared cloaks. Crimson clouds floated across the material. All the remaining color drained from Sakura's face as she realized her day just went from bad to worse. They were Akatsuki.

Any hope she had of overpowering these two and escaping flew right out the window. It was well known that the Akatsuki only had S-ranked ninja for its members. And they had only one goal. To capture the jinchuriki. Well, if they thought they were going to use her as bait to get Naruto, they had another thing coming. She would die fighting first. Summoning up her courage, she glared at them, her jade eyes flashing.

Unfortunately, it didn't have the intended effect. The woman gave her a tight lipped smile and the plant-man just smirked. They obviously knew they had her right where they wanted her, and that she was in no position to do anything about it. So she was forced to sit there, still glaring, while they approached calmly. The woman stepped closer and spoke to her in a soft, but firm voice.

"Haruno Sakura, I am Konan. Zetsu and I are here to escort you to the kitchen to get something to eat. If my guess is correct, you are probably famished by now." she said.

Sakura _was _quite hungry, but there was no way she was telling her that. Besides, she had some questions she wanted answered before she went anywhere. "Why am I here?" she demanded.

"Leader-sama will explain everything to you once you're finished with breakfast." Konan replied.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I'm not just going to sit here and let you guys use me as bait for Naruto." she said, menace dripping from every word.

Konan arched a fine brow. "Don't sell yourself short. We're not using you for bait."

"_Your own skills interest us very much._ **The nine tails will come later.**" the one called Zetsu said. Sakura stared at him, eyes widening. Did he just speak with two voices?

"It's time to go." Konan said firmly. "We can't make Leader-sama wait."

At this, Zetsu stepped closer, ready to take action if Sakura refused. She just looked at him and inwardly shuddered. There was no way he was touching her. He was just too creepy. So, standing on wobbly legs, she followed Konan out the open door. Her head was still dizzy, but it wasn't anything she couldn't manage. Once she had some food in her, she was sure it would pass. Zetsu stayed close behind her, and she could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck. A squeak emerged when she heard him mutter something about how tasty she looked, and she hurried to catch up to Konan, who had just turned the corner into the kitchen.

As soon as Sakura entered the room, she froze. There sitting at the table was Hoshigaki Kisame. She recognized him from both his picture in Tsunade's bingo book and stories from Rock Lee and Tenten about their battle with the shark ninja. At first she had thought that they were exaggerating their description of him. Now she knew otherwise. All she could do was stare at the man before her, casually eating his breakfast like he wasn't a notorious criminal.

He was easily one of the tallest men she had ever seen, even without his dark blue, gravity defying hair. And also, one of the most built. He didn't have his cloak on, just a mesh undershirt and a pair of blue pants with his sandals. Every time he lifted his chopsticks, she watched the muscles in his arm flex under his odd bluish gray skin. His shoulders and chest were broad and she could easily see the defined muscles of his stomach through the mesh.

"See something you like, Pinky?" he said in a deep, amused voice.

Sakura felt her face heat up when she realized she had been caught staring. Quickly, she yanked her eyes up to his face. He was grinning at her, displaying sharp white teeth. Her eyes widened when she took in his facial features. His nose, cheekbones and the line of his jaw were sharply defined. His eyes were fierce, with piercing yellow irises. But his most striking feature had to be the black, gill-like markings on each of his cheeks. He was almost as scary looking as Zetsu. He just didn't have that I'm-going-to-kill-and-eat-you feel about him.

"Nice pajamas, by the way." he added when she still hadn't spoke.

Her blush deepened as she realized her state of dress for the first time since she had awakened. It had been hot in her apartment and she had changed into a jade silk tank top with matching shorts as soon as she had come home. The shorts were _very_ short, the bottom just covering her upper thigh. Suddenly self conscious, Sakura crossed her arms over her chest and slumped into a chair across from Kisame. Muttering an embarrassed 'thanks', she sat there in silence until Konan brought her a plate.

She ate methodically, not really tasting any of it. Refusing had crossed her mind, but her stomach quickly vetoed that option. She wouldn't get far in her current state. Maybe, if she feigned cooperation, she could gather information on Konoha's greatest threat before she made her escape. That way, she would be useful, not just a hostage. With a new purpose she finished her breakfast and stood. Kisame stood with her, and carried both of their plates to the sink. He then picked up his cloak and sword, which was leaning against a far wall, and disappeared out of sight.

Feeling much better, Sakura walked between her two escorts as they led her down the hallway to a part of the base that was far from the room she had been held in. Without knocking, Konan pushed the door open and strode in. Sakura followed, Zetsu close behind. The door was closed with a loud click, the sound sending a chill down her spine. Looking around the brightly lit room, Sakura gasped. There, sitting in a chair between two more Akatsuki, was Ino. She was staring straight ahead, a dazed look in her eyes.

"Ino!" Sakura cried out. She tried to rush over to her, but strong hands grabbed her arms from behind, holding her in place. "What have you done to her, you bastards!"

One of the Akatsuki standing beside Ino stepped forward. Sakura's eyes widened in recognition as they landed on his swirling orange mask. It was the same ninja that had confronted the eight man squad sent to find Itachi and Sasuke. He had said that his name was Tobi, but later, at the debriefing, Kakashi had told them that in fact, he was the eldest of the Uchiha clan, Madara. Her breath caught in her throat as a wave of fear passed over her.

"She was beginning to make my head hurt with her screaming, so I sent her to a quiet place to wait for you." he said.

Genjutsu. Now it made sense. Finding her voice, Sakura glared at the masked man. "What do you want with us?"

"It's simple. The Akatsuki doesn't have a medic-nin and we are in need of your unique talents. I'm going to offer you a deal. Complete the task I assign you and I'll return your friend here to Konoha, unharmed." he replied.

"And if I refuse?"

"She will die, right here and now."

"How do I know you aren't lying? Once I complete whatever you want me to do, how do I know you won't just kill us both?"

At this, the one who had been standing quietly until now stepped forward. Sakura couldn't help but stare at him. He had spiky reddish orange hair and an extreme amount of piercings on his face. Inner Sakura took this inopportune moment to surface and laughingly point out that he looked like an evil Naruto. His silver ringed eyes stared right into her jade ones as he spoke. "Haruno Sakura. You might not agree with our methods, but I assure you, we are not a group of thugs. If we make a deal, I guarantee we will keep our end of the bargain."

Sakura was silent for several minutes, weighing her options. If she went along with what they wanted, she would be aiding a known enemy of Konoha. In essence, she would be betraying the village. If she fought them, she and Ino would die. It was four S-class criminals against two chunnin, not very good odds. Not only did she have her own life to consider, but Ino's as well. With a defeated sigh, she turned back to Madara.

"What do you want me to do?" If there was one thing that Kakashi taught her, it was that sometimes you had to break the rules, because loyalty to your friends was more important.

Zetsu released her arms as Madara waved her over to a table she hadn't noticed in the excitement of seeing Ino. As she approached, a gristly sight met her eyes. There, laid out was a body. It looked like it had been blown to bits. Someone had put the pieces in the correct area, but it was basically a pile of separated flesh and cloth. Trying to keep the contents of her stomach, she turned and raised a questioning eyebrow to Madara.

"Heal him." he commanded.

Heal him? How was that even possible? "I can't. He's dead." she replied. Madara just stared at her. Things were starting to look very bleak for Ino and heself.

"Can you put his body back together?" the pierced ninja asked, coming up behind them.

"I suppose so. I don't see how it would do any good though. Even if his body is whole, it would need blood to stay alive and I have no idea how to bring his soul back." she admitted honestly.

"Just do the basics, and I'll take care of the rest." he answered.

Sakura nodded and let her medic's mind begin to work. There was a huge amount of damage. "This is going to take some time..." she muttered.

"That's fine." Madara answered her. "It's been five years since he was incapacitated anyway."

Five years? No way. She stared down at the body as realization suddenly hit her. If this body was this way five years ago, then that means this is...Hidan. Her gut twisted in a knot as she remembered the meeting with Tsunade and Kakashi's warning. She was about to heal the man that Shikamaru, Ino and Choji hated more than anyone else on the planet. Asuma's killer. The sight of their faces that day popped into her head. They would never forgive her. Ino would probably choose death over bringing him back. For a moment, she considered changing her mind.

She glanced over at her friend and made her decision. Ino would go free. She would stay behind. After what she was about to do, she would never be able to look her friends in the face again. Once it was complete and Ino was safely back, she would turn on them and pray for a swift death. She would fight with everything she had, outnumbered or not. With a grim set to her mouth, she set to work.

She started with the legs. They seemed to have the least amount of damage. Gathering her chakra, she sent it into the body, and began working at the cellular level. Soon she was consumed with the meticulous task of reattaching ligaments and muscle, reshaping shattered bone, and grafting skin. It was strange, working on a body that had no chakra to mix with her own. It was almost like healing the melon she used to teach Ino.

Time seemed to blur as Sakura worked. She barely noticed as the Akatsuki moved around her. At any given time she could feel at least one pair of eyes on her, watching in morbid fascination. Mostly she ignored them, concentrating on her work too much to care. She didn't stop unless they made her halt long enough to eat or when she was swaying with weariness. Two cots were brought in, one for her, and the other was occupied by Ino, still caught under whatever jutsu Madara cast on her. In a way she was glad her friend couldn't see what she was doing, but another was worried about her being under the effects of a jutsu for that long and what she was doing while lost in that inner world.

Finally, on the evening of the third day, she was finished. Stepping back, she looked at her handiwork. Everything was in place; you couldn't tell that there had been anything wrong. The only thing left was the blood needed to get his heart started and keep it going. It would take a massive amount, much more than a simple transplant would provide. Then they still had to return his soul. How on earth they were going to do that, she hadn't a clue. Turning, she wiped the sweat off her forehead and looked at Madara.

"Alright, I'm finished." she said.

With a nod, Madara rose and left the room. He returned a few moments later with Konan and the pierced ninja. Pein, she had heard him called. Zetsu trailed in after them. Sakura noticed that Kisame was nowhere in sight. In fact, she hadn't seen him at all since the first morning she was awake. Figuring he was probably out on a mission, she waited silently beside Ino's still comatose body.

"Zetsu, take her back to Konoha." Madara said, pointing to Ino.

"Wait!" Sakura cried out. "I want to make sure she's okay. She's been in that genjutsu for days, there's no telling how it's affected her."

"I assure you, she's fine. A little pissed because she thinks she's lost in the woods, but fine." Madara replied. "Besides, I can't keep our bargain if she knows too much about us. I wouldn't be able to take the risk of sending her back if that happened."

Sakura frowned. Damn him for having a point. With a nod, she stepped to the side, allowing Zetsu to pick her up and walk out of the room. A little unsure of what would happen next, she stood silently, watching the Akatsuki. Pein and Madara exchanged glances, then Madara left the room. Pein and Konan walked over to the table, and Pein examined the body carefully. Curious about just how they planned on resurrecting Hidan, she edged closer to the table.

"So, what happens now?" she asked. She would have said it was impossible to bring back the dead, had it not been for Chiyo-sama. But her technique had died with her, and she was the only one who knew it. So they must have figured out a different way. The medic in her just had to know what it was.

"Now," Pein said, "it's time to see just how faithful our Jashinist was." Turning to Sakura, he held out his hand. "I'm going to need a little of your blood."

Her blood? Oh, Kami, was she going to be a sacrifice? Fear engulfed her. Ino had told her what Shikamaru had confided to her about the way Asuma had died, being a sacrifice for the bloody god, Jashin. She had planned on going out fighting, not as part of some sick ritual to resurrect a maniac. Panic set in and she tried to bolt for the door, only to find it blocked by Konan. Before she had time to react and find an alternate route out, Pein had a hold of her. Sakura struggled, but she had no weapons. Even her chakra was too low to gather into her fists for a decent punch.

Dragging her back to the table, he gripped her wrist hard. Pulling out a kunai, Pein sliced her palm. Pain shot through her arm at the injury. She watched as a stream of crimson steadily made it's way down her hand and onto Hidan's chest where her hand was forced to hover. Slowly, Pein lowered it until she was touching the lifeless flesh with her palm. Dragging it counterclockwise, he drew a circle with her blood. Once completed, he started at the bottom of the circle and drew a triangle within its confines.

Sakura struggled hard to keep him from finishing it. She knew as soon as he did, her life would be over. But it was no use. He was much stronger than she was, and her hand barely wavered, despite her efforts. Then it was finished. Pein lifted her hand, but retained his hold. The room was deathly still for several minutes. Three pairs of eyes watched a pair of clouded violet ones for any signs of life. Nothing happened.

Pein frowned. He chewed on his lip deep in thought for several minutes more. Then an idea struck him. Pulling Sakura's hand back over the table, he tilted Hidan's chin down with his free hand, until his mouth was open. Then he let her still bleeding palm hover inches from his face. A thin stream dripped down her hand and onto his tongue. As soon as the blood settled there, Sakura screamed.

An unseen force had a hold on her arm. It was so strong that Pein was forced backwards, away from her. It crawled up her skin, making its way toward her chest. Sakura fought against it, but she couldn't get away. Then it reached her torso and she screamed again. A wave of pain tore through her body. It felt like her arm was on fire. She stared at it in horror, expecting it to disintegrate to ash any second. It wasn't just her body. What was left of her chakra was being sucked out of her as well. As her reserves began to dwindle, she felt her head grow light, despite the intensity of the pain in her body.

It was as if the very life was being drained away from her. The pain made its way up her neck and surrounded her head. The room grew blurry. She couldn't see anything, couldn't feel anything except the searing pain consuming her. Was this how she was going to die? No, she refused. It wasn't going to end like this. Gathering her courage, she fought against the agony ripping its way through her body and mind. But the harder she tried to pull away from it, the more intense and forceful it became.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she felt her resolve start to weaken. It could have been that long, or only minutes. She had no concept of time. Only pain. It would be so easy just to give in. Sakura knew if she did, it would be over and she could rest. Relief seemed like a distant dream. Just give up, her mind whispered to her. Give up and it will all be over. Inwardly, Sakura sighed. Fine, she was planning to die anyway. This way was as good as any other. It certainly couldn't be any more painful.

_'Jashin, or whoever the fuck you are, if you want me so badly, take me. But end this pain. I can't take it any more.' _she willed herself to think. Then she just let go. Of everything. She stopped fighting. To live, to breathe, to do anything. And in that moment, everything went black and she knew no more.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sakura suddenly found herself standing in a strange place. It was a garden, judging by the carefully placed trees and the path of black volcanic stones beneath her bare feet. The sky was pitch black, indicating that it was night, but no stars shone in the sky. The only illumination came from bright red paper lanterns strung throughout the trees. A stream ran along the path, winding its way around the trees. A sickly sweet odor hung in the air, making Sakura's stomach feel a little queasy.

Unsure if she was dead, alive, or how she even got here, Sakura wandered down the stone path. If this was a garden, then there must be someone around that looked after it. She had only gone a short way when a flash of something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning her head, she gasped. Feral eyes gleamed in the darkness, and suddenly she was afraid. There were wild animals out here, and she had no way to defend herself. She had no weapons, and for some reason, she couldn't feel her chakra.

She saw one pair of eyes, then two, and before she knew it, she could count a half dozen creatures peering out at her from the darkness. They stalked closer, and the lead animal stepped out into the pool of light from the closest lantern. Wolves. Huge black wolves with blood red eyes and saliva dripping from their open mouths. She knew better than to run. That would only invite them to chase her. Backing away slowly, she retreated, her feet splashing in the warm stream beneath her when she strayed off the path. Her escape was halted when the trunk of a tree bit into her back.

It was icy cold against her skin, making her jump. Looking up, she noticed that she was standing underneath the largest cherry tree she had ever seen. It was in full bloom, the pale pink petals ready to drop from the delicate branches. And the whole thing was frozen, encased in a layer of ice. The dim light from the lanterns caught the surface of the ice, making the tree seem to sparkle. Beside it was a silver maple, in the same state of suspension. They were the only two trees around her like that. And the air was far too warm to blame on the odd phenomenon. If it weren't for the wolves closing in on her, she would have stopped in her tracks to puzzle over such a strange sight.

"Ah, so you've come to see the latest addition to my collection." a sinister voice said, making her start and look ahead again.

Appearing directly in front of her was the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. He had waist length, raven black hair. His face was finely shaped with chiseled features and swirling violet eyes. His skin was so pale, on anyone else it would have looked sickly. On him, it gave an ethereal impression. He was wearing a crimson robe that fell all the way to his bare feet. He might be the most handsome thing she had ever seen, but he was also the most evil. A deadly aura hung around him, sending a shudder up her spine. Standing beside him was the lead wolf. His teeth were no longer bared, and he stared at her intently, red eyes regarding her with intelligence.

Sakura tensed, arms raised defensively. "Who are you?" she asked forcefully.

"You mean you don't know?" he asked, clearly amused. "Silly girl, you shouldn't go around giving yourself to people you don't know. It could get you into trouble."

Sakura was completely confused by his words. What did he mean by that? She didn't remember giving herself to anyone. It must have shown on her face, because the strange man gave her an irritated look before waving his hand. A breeze began blowing through the leaves of the tree, carrying with it a voice. It took her a moment to realize that what she was hearing were her own words. _"Jashin, or whoever the fuck you are, if you want me so badly, take me. But end this pain. I can't take it anymore."_ As the last word echoed through the trees, the breeze died down and everything was still again.

The truth of where she was and just who she was with slammed into Sakura hard. Terror threatened to consume her. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. She was going to wake up any moment and discover that the box of dango she bought was out of date or the sake was a lot stronger than she thought. But it was undeniable. Here she was, most likely dead, standing in the garden of Hidan's god of slaughter, Jashin.

A whine snapped her out of her momentary panic. The wolf that had been standing at Jashin's side was now in front of her, shoving his nose into her hand that had subconsciously fallen to her side. Sakura froze, unsure if she should move her hand or not. Slowly, she moved it, patting him gently on the head. He licked her fingers before turning and trotting off into the woods. Looking back up, she saw that the man in front of her was smirking.

"It seems that you have made a friend. His name is Makoto. It's odd that he came to you. He generally doesn't heed anyone but me." he said. His words were friendly enough, but they were layered with a tone of unnatural malice.

Sakura inwardly shook her head. This situation was getting more surreal by the second. First she was nearly attacked by the wolves, now they were standing around chatting like friends. Gathering her courage, she met his hard eyes. "Exactly why am I here?"

"Because you belong to me now." he replied.

"Like hell!" Sakura shouted. She didn't belong to anyone, and certainly not to a bloodthirsty god of death.

Jashin just smirked at her. He let his eyes roam over her form before returning to her face. "You're certainly feisty. I think you will make a good companion to my most faithful priest. Yes, you do belong to me. And I have a job for you." She remained silent, glaring at him, so he continued. "I'm going to send you back. You won't be able to do it right away, but when the time is right, I want you to sacrifice Uchiha Madara."

Sakura's eyes widened at this. He wanted her to do what? There was no way. For one thing, Madara was much too strong for her to defeat. For another thing, there was no way she was going to participate in Hidan's bloody religion. Jashin would just have to send her to Hell, or whatever he was planning to do if she refused. Narrowing her eyes, she met his gaze. "No."

She waited for him to retaliate to her refusal, but he just continued with his infuriating smirk. "You have no choice. I have a gift that will help you." With that, he held up a small scroll. In the blink of an eye, it was gone, and Sakura looked down to find it in her hand.

"What is it?" she asked, eying the parchment suspiciously.

"It's a summoning scroll. Activate the seals inside and Makoto will come to your aid. But I have to warn you, it will only work once. You will know when it's time to use it. Now, I think it's about time for you to return."

"Wait." she said suddenly. "Why Madara?"

"Because out of all the mortals in the world, his blood is by far the sweetest. He is completely untainted by things like compassion and love. A perfect sacrifice." With that he stepped forward, to the edge of the path. Bending down, he stuck his forefinger in the stream, almost at Sakura's feet. Straightening back up, he let his hand hover a moment. The moisture on his finger shone black in the light. Then he stuck his finger in his mouth and grinned.

Sakura's eyes widened as she realized that it wasn't water that she was standing in. It was blood. The blood of all the sacrifices that were made in his name. That explained the foul stench in the air. Before she had time to react and move away from it, Jashin was right in front of her, his hand resting lightly around her throat. Pulling her to him, he leaned forward and captured her lips.

Sakura froze. His lips moved aggressively, forcing her mouth open. A massive wave of chakra poured into her. Coupled with it was a pleasure so intense, she had never known anything like it. Her head was reeling from it and the world fell away, leaving her with a floating feeling. She felt moisture drench her as the cherry tree behind her began to melt. Then the world flashed a bright white before darkness took her once again.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"FUCK!"

Pein and Konan both jumped as the familiar expletive echoed in the silent room. They were just about to step through the door to report their failure to Madara. After Sakura collapsed on the floor, she stopped breathing. They waited a full five minutes for a reaction from either shinobi before admitting defeat. Presuming her dead, they moved Sakura to her cot before deciding to inform Madara and let Zetsu know his next meal was ready.

Turning around, their eyes widened in surprise to see Hidan sitting on the edge of the table, rubbing his neck. Konan glanced over to Sakura's cot just in time to see the girl convulse and gasp. Her green eyes flew open and she sat up with a start. Breathing rapidly, she wildly looked around the room until she realized where she was. Hidan watched her curiously before turning and looking at Pein and Konan.

"It's about fucking time someone got me out of that Jashin forsaken hole! What the hell took so long?" he asked, glaring at Pein.

Sakura lifted a hand to her chest. Her heart beat erratically beneath her fingers. But it was beating, and she could once again feel her chakra. She was alive. A wave of relief washed over her. So, if she was alive now, what had happened? Did she really meet Jashin, or was it just a hallucination? Looking down at her hand, she didn't see the scroll he had given her. If it all really happened, where was it? The sound of arguing broke her confusion and she looked up to see Hidan, very much alive and pissed off, arguing with Pein.

"We could have left you there. You ought to be a little more grateful, Hidan." Pein replied, giving him an irritated look.

Hidan ignored him and turned his attention back to the strange woman across the room from him. She was pretty, he had to admit, but it looked like she had gone through hell. Her light pink hair was tangled and she was wearing a pair of deep green pajamas. Her face was covered in sweat and she was breathing heavily. He watched as she raised a shaky hand to push a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"Who's the bitch?" he asked Pein. He missed the narrowing of jade eyes as he questioned his leader.

"Haruno Sakura. She's a medic-nin and the one that put you back together again." Pein answered.

"Why didn't you just have Kakuzu do it?"

"Because he's dead."

"Ha! I knew that old bastard would get what was coming to him. Too bad I wasn't there for the fight." Hidan said with a laugh.

"You were." Pain stated.

All the humor left Hidan's face. "What? Are you telling me that those pussies from Konoha actually _killed_ Kakuzu?"

Before she knew what she was doing, Sakura was across the room. Pulling her arm back, she slammed her fist into Hidan's face, sending him flying off the backside of the table. The punch didn't have much force, since her chakra was still low, but it still gave her a sense of satisfaction. She didn't care who he was, she wasn't going to stand there and let him insult her friends. And _no one_ called her a bitch.

Jumping into action, Pein grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back. "That's not a good way to stay alive. Don't do it again." he said menacingly.

Hidan picked himself up off the floor, uncaring of his near naked state. "Feisty, aren't you, bitch?" he said, grinning at her. A hard glare was his only response.

Running a hand through his hair, a surprised look crossed his face. Grabbing the ends, he brought the long locks around to examine them. Looking up, he eyed Pein. "Just how long was I in that damn hole?"

"Five years."

"Five years? Fuck, why didn't you just build me a house there if you were planning on leaving me for so damn long!" he shouted.

"It couldn't be helped."

"Yeah fucking right. I'm outta here." he said, brushing past Pein and heading for the door.

Pein turned to look at him, a strange expression on his face. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To the kitchen. I'm fucking starving." With that, he left the room and disappeared down the hall.

A moment later, Madara entered the room. Hearing the commotion, he came to see what had happened. Stopping in front of Pein, he looked at Sakura. "I see you were successful."

Sakura said nothing, so Pein nodded. Turning, Madara looked at Konan. "Take her back to her room. Then I want you back here for a report."

"Hai." Konan replied. Pein released her, and Sakura left the room, followed closely by Konan.

After they were gone, Madara turned back to Pein. "Well done. As soon as Kisame gets back with our latest recruit, we should have enough people to continue with our plans. As for the kunoichi, she seems to be more trouble than she's worth. Most Leaf ninja are. Dispose of her as you see fit."

"That's going to be a problem."

"Why's that?" Madara frowned beneath his swirling orange mask. He hated it when things interfered with his plans.

"There seems to be an unexpected side effect to the jutsu we used on Hidan. I didn't notice it right away, but as Hidan left the room, it was very obvious."

"A side effect? Explain."

"Hidan and Sakura seem to have the same chakra signature. That wasn't the case before."

"So you're saying they're connected somehow?"

"It seems that way. But the extent and duration of the connection is unknown. If something were to happen to the girl, it could possibly undo everything we worked for in getting Hidan back in the first place."

"I see. If that is indeed the case, then we have no choice but to keep her here, at least for now. But keep a sharp eye on her. She is not to be trusted." With that, Madara turned and left the room, leaving Pein to his own devices.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Back in her room, Sakura paced. She had already studied the seals on her door and window. She was unwilling to test them out physically, however. The results were sure to be unpleasant. As she walked, her thoughts turned to the events that happened during the resurrection jutsu. Had she really died? Did she really meet the actual Jashin, or was it just a figment of her imagination? He had said she was to be a companion for his priest. She assumed he meant Hidan. He was the only Jashinist that she knew. But there was no way in hell she was going to befriend that insensitive jerk.

Her musing was interrupted by the reappearance of Konan. She brought Sakura a change of clothes. They were simple. A red tank top with a mesh under shirt and a pair of black shorts with a pair of calf high sandals, similar to the ones she normally wore. Konan didn't speak to her, just laid the clothes on the bed and slipped back out the door, sealing it behind her. After she left, Sakura headed to the bathroom to shower.

Stepping in under the hot water, Sakura let it soothe her tired mind. She was completely wore out. The aftereffects of the drugs she was sedated with combined with the strain of using her chakra for such an extended period of time left her exhausted. Finishing quickly, she stepped out and wrapped up in a large towel. Stepping in front of the mirror, she glanced at her reflection. She was still a little pale, but the shower had helped considerably. That was when she noticed the difference.

Leaning closer, she peered at her eyes. Odd. Mixed in with the brilliant jade of her irises were tiny flecks of violet. She was certain that they hadn't been there before. Did it have something to do with the jutsu that had knocked her out? Hidan's eyes were practically the same color. Turning her chakra inward, she sought out any other differences. The only thing she could detect was that her chakra seemed to fluctuate and react a little differently from normal.

Shrugging, she pushed it to the back of her mind for later examination. She was too tired to think about it now. Dressing quickly, she left the bathroom to find a tray of food sitting on her nightstand. Walking over to it, she realized that she was hungry as well. The contents were soon demolished and Sakura lay on the bed to think. Before she knew it, her eyes were drooping downward. Minutes later, she was fast asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Hidan stood in his bedroom, looking around in dismay. The place was a wreck. A thick layer of dust hung over everything. Some of the drawers were pulled out of the dresser, as if someone went through them, looking for anything of value. He would have blamed Kakuzu, the greedy bastard, if Pein hadn't told him he died right after Hidan was defeated. A wave of anger went through him at that thought. That damn Konoha brat. When he found the little shit again, he would make him pay dearly for the embarrassment.

Finding a clean pair of pants that hadn't been pilfered, Hidan grabbed them and a kunai and headed for the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, he raised the weapon. A quick slice later and his hair was back to a decent length. He grinned at his reflection. Jashin had preserved his good looks well over the last five years. You couldn't even tell that any time had passed at all. His smile faded and he leaned closer to the mirror. There was something wrong with his eyes.

Mixed in with the deep violet of his irises were small flecks of green. Tilting his head, he studied the new color. He was certain it hadn't been there before. Probably an aftereffect of the jutsu, he concluded. It was irritating, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Shrugging, he turned and stepped into the shower, turning the water up as hot as it would go. Twenty minutes later he was stretched out on his bed, uncaring of the dust in the room. Moving his hand up to his chest, he went to grasp his necklace only to discover it missing. He had no idea where his scythe was either. Damn. That meant he would have to make another trip to the temple. Closing his eyes, he began his lengthy prayer to Jashin.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sakura's eyes slid open as the gray dawn lightened the interior of her room. There was no bright sunshine, like there would have been in Konoha. Instead, the sky hung with dark clouds and the rain beat out an unsteady rhythm on the windowsill. Rolling over, she tried to slip back to sleep, without success. Being a shinobi and working at the hospital had her up early nearly every morning, a habit that defeated her exhaustion, forcing her into consciousness. She had slept deeply for about three hours, just enough for her body to get a little rest. Then she spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, and waking nearly every hour.

Her emotions were to blame. Every time her eyes opened during the night, a yawning emptiness had consumed her. She assumed it was because she was missing her home and friends, an expected reaction to her captivity. But a nagging thought at the back of her mind told her it was something more. It was like half of her soul was gone, leaving behind a gaping hole. And the morning found her in the same state. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes, but she roughly pushed them back down. She was not a weak girl anymore. And she would _not _cry, no matter how confused and upset she felt.

Sitting up to distract herself, Sakura forced a yawn. She let her eyes roam over the room. She hoped she wouldn't have to stay here all day. There was absolutely nothing to do. Not even a book to read. Not that she could complain much. As far as being a hostage went, she wasn't too bad off. They could have tied her up and tossed her into a closet somewhere. She ate the same food everyone else did and they hadn't tortured her or done any of the other horrible things she tried not to imagine. Pein was evidently sincere when he said they weren't lowlifes. Criminals, but not thugs.

But even a nice cage is still a cage. So the next question was, what should she do? What could she do? Her options were pretty much limited. She could either cooperate until the Akatsuki decided to get rid of her, fight them at the next opportunity, or wait and escape when the time was right. Returning to Konoha is what she would be expected to do. But as soon as she did, she would be in big trouble. Tsunade might understand her predicament, but the village elders wouldn't. She had just aided the village's biggest threat. And she just might have turned things in their favor by bringing back Hidan.

Wearily, she climbed out of bed and walked over to the window to watch the rain fall. She didn't have much of a view. The side of a stoic brick building stared back at her from the other side of the street. There were no people out this morning, but it was still early. She had only been standing there a few minutes when she felt Konan approach and unseal her door. Opening it, the older kunoichi poked her head around the door and gave Sakura a small smile. "Breakfast time."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Hidan trudged out of his room, slamming the door behind him. He hadn't slept one bit last night. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, but something had kept him irritated and restless. So he had spent the night cleaning his room. And he wasn't quiet about it either. Twice Konan had to come and tell him to keep it down or Pein would send him right back to the hole Zetsu dug him out of. He gave a small shudder at the thought. No way in hell was he going back there. Ever.

His so-called 'final moments' at the bottom of that pit had been the longest, most painful experience of his life. And considering the amount of pain he could endure, that said a lot. After the earth had settled around him, the only thing he could do was hurt, think and pray. Dust clogged his nose and got into his mouth and eyes. The pressure of the rocks surrounding him threatened to drive him insane. Trapped by his immortality, the hours stretched into days, then into weeks, until time ceased to have meaning altogether. Eventually, he managed to transcend the pain of being dismembered. It had taken a long time, but he succeeded.

While he lay immobile, he began praying to Jashin. He prayed for freedom. He prayed for revenge. He prayed for everything except death. His pride wouldn't allow it. As he communed with his god, his mind began to slowly slip away from his body. Each time he regained awareness, he found it more and more difficult to return. At last, he let go completely, remaining in a meditative state in the blackness. Then her chakra wrapped itself around his soul, dragging him back into the world of the living.

Stepping into the kitchen, Hidan grabbed a plate and plopped into a chair at the table. Pein, Konan, and Sakura were already there, eating breakfast in silence. Looking around, he suddenly noticed how quiet the base was. Searching the area for chakra, the only ones he found were in the room with him, and Tobi's, somewhere upstairs. "Where the hell is everyone? And did you know Tobi was in your office?" he asked Pein, disturbing the stillness of the room.

"This is all that remains of the members you knew, except for Kisame and Zetsu. They're currently out on missions. And Tobi is actually our leader, Uchiha Madara. So my office is really his office." Pein replied.

"What? You mean that dumbshit is giving _you_ orders?" Hidan asked in disbelief. "No wonder the place went to hell while I was gone."

Pein gave him a chiding look. "You should be more respectful, Hidan. Madara was the one who thought to arrange for your retrieval and had Zetsu bring Sakura from Konoha so you could be revived."

Hidan glanced over at the pink haired ninja. She had stopped eating and was staring at her plate with a frown. "So what, is she a hostage?"

"For now. Although, after seeing her talent and determination firsthand, we're willing to discuss a permanent place for her here with us."

Sakura turned to stare at Pein, who was looking at her, a slight smile on his face. He wanted her to join Akatsuki? Either he overestimated her skills greatly, or they were truly desperate. She wasn't even a jounin yet, and every one of their members were elite ninja. There was no way she would be able to keep up with them. And besides that, she couldn't willingly betray Konoha. Ino and her team might never forgive her for what she did, but they were still her friends, and she wanted to protect them. And Tsunade would have a royal fit if she even thought of accepting his offer.

Gathering her courage, she shook her head. "I can't do that."

"Why not? It's not like you're going anywhere."

Sakura stared at him. "What do you mean by that?"

Pein hesitated a moment, then explained. "Certain circumstances have made your return to Konoha impossible." His expression became stern. "You can either spend your time here wisely, putting all you've learned to good use while training to become a better ninja, or you can stay in your room, alone. Escape will not be a possibility. Even if you were to somehow make it out of the building and back to your village, Zetsu would just be sent to fetch you again."

Hidan watched as indignant anger swept across her features. Her bright green eyes narrowed as they flashed fire. The frown she wore deepened and she lifted her chin. He had to admit, he found her quite attractive when she was angry. "You can't do that!" she hissed at Pein.

"I have little choice in the matter."

Sakura just glared at him. Like hell he didn't have a choice. Then a realization hit her. Even though he figured she might escape, he only said he would bring her back. He never once threatened to kill her. He was obviously hiding something important from her. Something about her situation that prevented them from harming her, no matter how defiant she was. She needed to find out what it was. Then maybe she could deal them a heavy blow before her luck ran out and they decided she wasn't worth the effort anyway.

Sakura returned to her food without speaking. Finishing quickly, she rose from the table, and took her plate to the sink. Turning back, she looked at Konan. "I'm ready to return to my room if you don't need anything else from me." she said darkly.

Hidan let his eyes follow after the two kunoichi as they left. Once they were out of sight, he looked at Pein. "I need to make a trip today." he said.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't have my pendant or scythe anymore. I need to replace my shit before I can do anything else. The only place I can get them is at Jashin's temple." Hidan answered.

"That should be fine. How long will you be gone?" Pein asked.

"Two days. Jashin will require a sacrifice before I can return to his service." he said, eyes lighting up in anticipation. Pein nodded his approval before standing and heading out of the room. Alone now, Hidan finished his breakfast and left to retrieve his cloak.

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Dusk was just settling on the land when Hidan reached the temple. His trip had been uneventful, and by the time he reached his destination, he was bored out of his mind. He half wished Kakuzu was still around. Then he would at least have someone to talk to, even if the man was a callous prick. Coming to a stop, he gazed up at the building that had been his home many years ago. It was made of plain gray stone, set back into a cliff. There weren't any windows. The only indication it was a temple at all was the circumscribed triangle painted on the wooden door. Pushing the massive thing open, Hidan stepped inside.

The familiar scent of blood and death pervaded the air. It was eerily silent, a hint of recent violence hanging in the atmosphere. Following a dimly lit hallway, he soon found himself in the main room. Memories of the time he lived in the temple flooded him as he paused in the doorway and took in his surroundings. It was massive and dark here, the only illumination coming from several hundred candles lining the walls and around Jashin's symbol in the floor at the other end. Several corridors split off in different directions. One led to private cells for the priests, another to the work areas and the last was where the rooms for the library and the performance of jutsu were located.

No one immediately came to greet him, so Hidan walked to the middle of the circle and dropped to his knees. He removed his cloak and tossed it to the side. The candles around him flickered, soft light bouncing off the hard planes of his chest and making his silver hair seem to glow. Closing his eyes, he began to pray. He was there about fifteen minutes when he felt a familiar presence behind him. He opened his eyes, but didn't turn around. Low chanting broke the silence of the room, increasing in volume as more voices joined in. Tilting his head just enough to see behind him, Hidan gazed at the priests of the temple. They were sitting on the floor in neat rows, bare chested, and each one held a red ceremonial dagger. His lips tugged upward in a grin. It must be time for the evening ritual.

A slight movement to his left caught his attention as Yaiba, the head priest, pressed a dagger into his hand as well. It was he who had introduced Hidan to the Jashin faith and completed the jutsu that secured his place as an immortal. He had been a young man then, fully in his prime. Now Hidan noted that time had started to take its toll on his longtime friend. His hair began to gray and the light from the candles enhanced the deep grooves in his face. Scars riddled his bare torso, a testament to his faith in Jashin.

Hidan began to rise, but Yaiba placed his hand on his shoulder, returning him gently to the floor. Normally, the head of the temple would sit within the confines of the circle for the rituals, but Hidan had a special place among them. His thirst for death had become almost legendary. And because of his status as the only one to successfully gain immortality, most of the other priests treated him like a living treasure, favored by Jashin. With a nod, Yaiba gave up his seat and dropped to the floor on Hidan's left.

Facing forward again, Hidan gazed upon the low alter set before him. It was carved into the shape of an onyx wolf with rubies for eyes. It's jaws were open and in place of a tongue sat the sacred collection bowl, the lip resting between the lower fangs. Raising his arm into the air, Hidan brought the flat of the dagger to rest on the inside of his wrist. Closing his eyes again, he loudly uttered the words he had heard every single evening while he had lived at the temple.

"Jashin, Lord of Slaughter. Strengthen us, your servants, as we strengthen you with our offering of blood. Lift us up, beyond the pain to find solace in your presence. May we continue in your work until the day you deem our souls worthy to stand at your side in the next life."

Turning the blade, Hidan dug the tip of the dagger into his skin, relishing in the burning sensation it created. Dragging it downward, he eagerly watched the crimson droplets well up in the wound. Joining together, the rivulet trailed down his arm to drip off his elbow and land on the stones beneath him, stained black by all the previous rituals performed here. Fire crawled up his arm as the wound made itself known. Letting it wash over him, he nearly groaned aloud as he embraced it, and pleasure replaced the pain. He heard gasps behind him as the other priests followed suit, and even a low moan or two. Leaning forward, he let the fresh blood pool in the bottom of the collection bowl before switching hands and raising the dagger once again.

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Sakura lay across her bed, green eyes staring at the ceiling. She had been in this damned room all day, only allowed out twice more to eat. She had tried everything she could think of to stay busy. She had devised several scenarios for escape, practiced taijutsu moves, mentally went over the processes of all her jutsu, she even tried meditation. But in the end, boredom found her anyway. And as the day wore on, the loneliness that had plagued her the night before returned full force.

She had started pacing the room, her chest growing tight and her breathing becoming fast and unsteady. Panic pushed its way into her mind. She had to keep reminding herself that nothing was wrong, and there was no need to be so anxious. Then, fifteen minutes ago, it just disappeared. Vanished like it had never been. A strange, peaceful feeling replaced it. Confused, but relieved, she flopped onto the bed, pink locks fanned out around her, where she lay until now.

Suddenly, pain shot through her right wrist. Jumping, she brought it around to see what was wrong. Even though it felt like she had been cut, her flesh was whole. She might have thought she strained it or something, but she had been completely still when it happened. Then pain began crawling up her arm. Molding her chakra, she sent it into her body to try and figure out what was happening. The chakra in the area of the pain was fluctuating and swirling, but she could find no physical reason for it.

Then the pain ebbed away, replaced by a warm tingling sensation. A blush graced her cheeks as the feeling transformed to pleasure that swept through her body. After a moment, she felt a matching pain in her left wrist. What the hell? Bringing her other hand in front of her, she examined it as well. Once again, she found nothing. The feeling subsided and another wave of pleasure coursed over her. Closing her eyes and dropping her arms to the mattress, Sakura waited for it to pass.

Ten minutes later it was gone. Sakura opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling once more. What was wrong with her? Was she going crazy? Deciding she needed to move, she stood up and walked into the bathroom to wash her face. The water felt good on her skin, and after drying off on a towel, she glanced at herself in the mirror. Once again, jade eyes mixed with violet stared back at her. Did that have anything to do with the strange way she had been feeling? Surely a mere jutsu wouldn't have such extreme side effects. But then again, high level jutsu were never without risks. That was part of what made them so difficult to master.

Exiting the bathroom, she walked over to the window. The rain had let up, and a heavy fog had settled outside, making visibility difficult. She watched it curl around the top of the building across the dark street. She hadn't seen a mist this heavy since Kakashi fought Itachi's doppleganger on their way to save Gaara. Suddenly she felt lonelier than ever. Would she ever see her teammates again? Her parents? She wiped at her watery eyes as anger overshadowed her despair. Damn this stupid situation. She didn't ask for it. She did nothing to deserve it. So, why her? It was nothing but unfair. She sighed as she reined in her emotions. Fretting would only weaken her. Returning to the bed, she crawled in and curled up against the pillow. Closing her eyes, she willed her mind to go completely blank.

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Hidan stepped out the door into the morning sunshine. Yawning dramatically, he stretched before strapping his new crimson scythe to his back. The triple blades held a deadly gleam in the sunlight. The other priests had sanctified it, along with his pendant, at the first sign of dawn this morning. After a lengthy prayer in the main room of the temple, he bid goodbye to his master. Now that he had what he came for, he was quick to leave. He hadn't slept again last night and he was tired. He still had a sacrifice to find, and as soon as that was done, he was going to return to the base for a long nap.

Walking slowly down the road, he headed for the nearest village. It was a poverty-stricken place, reduced to it's current state by civil war. There were sure to be plenty of candidates for a decent sacrifice. He watched the terrain as he walked, having nothing else to do. It was marshy here, the majority of the vegetation comprised of large trees with twisted roots. Aquatic plants grew around them in thick clumps. Moss flourished everywhere, clinging to the smaller rocks and the trunks of the trees. All the plants and water made the air humid, and soon beads of sweat popped out on Hidan's forehead.

Several hours later, the village came into sight. But by this time, Hidan was fed up with the silence. He was hot, tired and bored. Plopping down on a nearby boulder, he ran his hand through his slick hair.

"Jashin fucking damn it!" he yelled to no one. "I can't take this shit. At least with Kakuzu around there was someone to argue with." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to regain his calm. He was just about to stand when a loud noise made him jump and open his eyes.

"Meow!"

"What the hell?" Looking down, he saw a fuzzy orange kitten sitting next to him on the boulder. It had light green eyes and a fierce expression on its little face. It stared up at him expectantly.

"Meow!" the kitten pleaded.

"Go away cat, I don't have any food for you."

"Meow!" it complained more forcefully.

Gazing skyward, Hidan rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. "You're screwing with me, aren't you? Seriously, a cat?"

His only reply was the sound of loud purring next to him. With a sigh, Hidan stood and continued walking towards the village. The kitten followed along behind him, batting playfully at clumps of grass they passed. Hidan found himself looking back more and more to see if he was keeping up. The village entrance came in sight, and Hidan stopped to size it up. A sharp pain hit him as the kitten jumped on his foot, sinking razor sharp teeth into his toe.

"Ow! You little shit!" Hidan snatched the kitten up by the scruff of the neck and glared at him. Green eyes glared back, completely unrepentant. He wanted to wring the little demon's neck. But he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he dropped him back to the ground and walked down the main street of the village, the kitten close on his heels.

The place was a dump. Trash littered the street and several people sat slumped on the corner. Every pair of eyes that met his were shadowed with hunger and desperation. A little girl in a torn kimono came running around the corner and bumped right into him. He stared down at her. She looked back up at him defiantly, stuck her tongue out, and took off again. Two boys around the same age chased after her, laughing madly. Hidan grinned. This place was perfect for drawing out Jashin's next sacrifice. The air was practically smothering with violence.

Making sure to catch the eye of several rough looking men, Hidan casually strolled into an alley. It wasn't long before his bait was taken. Three sets of footsteps followed him into the shadows. Turning, he grinned at the thugs. They were dirty and unshaven, their eyes as hard as steel. The one in the middle held a long knife. The other two held katana. Pulling his scythe from his back, Hidan beckoned them closer.

"Look here boys, it seems that we've got a lost tourist." the one with the knife said. Hidan's eyes narrowed. He really hated that word.

"Give us your money and any valuables you have, and we just might let you live." the one on the right said, stepping forward. The kitten, who had been standing behind Hidan, bounded forward, arching his back and hissing at the men.

They erupted in laughter. "We'd better run, guys. He might send his little attack kitty after us." the third joined in. The kitten edged a little too close, and the man with the knife kicked him, sending him flying backwards into a garbage can. Hidan watched as the kitten picked itself up and limped back over to him, holding up a hind leg. His violet eyes hardened.

"You know what's wrong with this village? There are three too many fucking assholes in it!" he yelled as he charged after them.

The fight was over almost as soon as it began. These guys might be gutsy, but they were no shinobi. The first well aimed throw found his scythe buried in the neck of the man on the left. Blood sprayed his opponents as he withdrew his weapon. The one on the right charged. When he reached Hidan, he was roughly grabbed by the neck. He buried his katana in Hidan's chest, but soon found himself slammed into the side of a building, his skull caving under the force of the blow. Dropping him, a wicked grin crossed Hidan's face as he turned to the man with the knife.

Hidan pulled the blade out of his chest, laughing when he watched his opponent's eyes widen in fear. Blood flowed freely down his chest. When it reached the ground, Hidan began drawing the circle for his ritual. Once completed, he charged the man, who still stood frozen in shock. Raising his knife, he blocked the first swing of the scythe. Knocking it to the side, he attacked. Hidan's heart was pierced as he brought his crimson blades down on the man's shoulder. Dragging back, he smirked as a large gash appeared and the man cried out in pain.

"At last! The pleasure that has been denied me for five years will be mine once again. Come, share your pain with me, and I'll show you the true power of Jashin!" Hidan said as he brought his scythe to his mouth and licked it clean.

Terrified eyes watched as Hidan stepped back until he was once again standing in his circle. Immediately, his skin darkened until it was black, the bone-like white markings standing out sharply. "What kind of monster are you?" he cried, taking a step back.

"The last kind a piece of shit like you will ever see. Now," Hidan said, pulling his pike out "It's been awhile. Let's do this nice and fucking slow."

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Sakura's eyes flew open as a sharp pain pierced her thigh. She had just returned from breakfast and was lying on her bed, begging for some much needed rest. Once again, she hadn't slept, and exhaustion was beginning to take its toll on her. A gasp flew from her lips as the pain intensified. Sitting up in the bed, she pulled the fabric of her shorts up, trying to find the source of her discomfort. Once again, she could find no reason for it.

She had scarcely let her leg drop to the mattress when her arm started hurting and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Moments later, her other arm joined the first, and a painful moan found its way from her throat. It felt like someone had a knife and was plunging it into her over and over again. Then her stomach felt like it was being ripped open and she couldn't stop the scream that emerged from her lips. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she rocked back and forth, trying to find some relief from the intense pain assaulting her body. Sweat broke out on her face and when another sharp pain hit her liver, she screamed again.

Her mind grew hazy from the pain and she rolled out of the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud. She had to have help. Now. Even if it was from her enemies. She thought she vaguely heard footsteps come running down the hallway. She tried crawling towards the door, until her lungs were hit, making her spine seize as she collapsed on the floor. Scream after scream was torn from her throat. What was wrong with her? Where was this pain coming from and why? Her vision blurred just as Konan came through the door.

Sakura felt Konan drop to her side as her chest felt like it would explode from the pain ripping through it. Her muscles spasmed and locked up. She was rolled onto her back, and she thought she heard Konan yell for Pein. Then the world seemed to fall away. This was it. She was going to die for real this time, and she didn't even know why. Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the pain was gone. It its place was a wave of pleasure so intense, it rivaled the one she felt when Jashin had kissed her. It swept through her body, soothing her tense muscles. She moaned loudly an instant before her brain shut down under the force of feeling. Her whole body relaxed, and her eyes rolled back in her head as everything went black.

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Hidan grimaced as he came to and sat up. With a wince and a muttered curse, he pulled the pike from his chest, followed by the knife. He sat there a moment, catching his breath and grinning at the bloody corpse lying face down in front of him. Jashin must surely be pleased with him. That had been one of the best rituals he had ever performed. Either that, or he had forgotten how wonderful it was in the first place. He started to stand up when a blur of orange raced by his face and he felt a slight weight settle on his shoulder.

Turning his head, he lifted an eyebrow in surprise. The kitten had jumped up on him and was perched on his bare shoulder, purring madly. He reached up to grab it when a lightning quick paw smacked his finger, leaving a stinging scratch behind. Glaring at the kitten, he tried again. He managed to grab it by the scruff, but when he went to pull it off of him, he had his claws dug into his skin, hanging on for dear life. Hidan pulled hard, but the kitten wouldn't budge.

"Fine, you little demon, stay there. You'll get fucking bored of me eventually." he growled at it. Standing up, Hidan strapped his scythe on his back, stowed his pike away, and walked out of the alley, a satisfied smirk on his face. Now, time to get back to the base and get that much needed nap.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sakura regained awareness before she opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she just felt...good. Her body was relaxed and her mind was unusually calm. She was still tired, so she knew she couldn't have been out long. Languidly, she opened her eyes, only to find herself staring up into the pierced face of Pein. He was frowning, and wore a concerned look on his face. Sakura smiled weakly at him and sat up, forcing him to retreat a little. They must have lain her on the bed, because she was no longer in the floor and her blanket slid down to her waist as she rose.

"Sakura-san, are you okay?" he asked.

"I think so. How long was I out?" she replied.

"About five minutes. Do you know what happened to you? You were screaming."

"I'm not sure. It felt like I was dying, but there wasn't any reason for it."

"Tell me everything you remember." Pein commanded.

She knew she shouldn't do it; exposing a weakness was a dangerous thing for someone in her situation. But, just maybe, he had some insight into what was going on that she didn't. Sakura described to him what had happened to her, right up to the time that Konan came in. Then she told him about the incident the night before, when it felt like her wrists had been cut, but she could find no cause. As she spoke, she watched Pein's expression go from thoughtful to one of understanding. Finishing, she gave him a curious look. "Do you know what is wrong with me, Pein-san?"

"Not exactly, but I have a hunch."

"And that is?" she asked a little forcefully. Pein shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but until I know for sure, I can't tell you." he said with a frown. Sakura repeated the expression.

"But I have some good news for you." he continued.

"What's that?" she asked, half-hearted.

"I was talking to Madara a few minutes ago, and we agreed that since you have shown no resistance so far, we're going to extend your confinement from your room to the entire lower floor of the building. But when you are in the common areas, you have to have one of us with you at all times. Konan is the only one not busy right now, so she will accompany you first. Any questions?"

Sakura shook her head. She couldn't help the grateful smile that made its way to her lips. Finally, she would be able to go somewhere other than this damned room. And just maybe, she would be able to get them to trust her enough to lower their guard. Then she could either defeat at least one of them or escape, and if it was a really good day, both. Pein must have been able to read her thoughts, because he gave her a very stern look.

"This privilege will be revoked with the slightest cause. How long it lasts hinges on your behavior. Don't disappoint me." he said.

Sakura nodded her understanding. Turning, Pein left her room. Konan hovered in the doorway. She gave Sakura a small smile. "Would you like to help me with lunch, or do you want to rest some? That was quite an ordeal you went through."

"I'll be fine, as long as I don't have to stay in here another minute."

Sakura climbed out of bed and walked over to the blue haired kunoichi. Following her out, they made their way to the kitchen. Sakura was set to work chopping vegetables while Konan boiled shrimp on the stove. As she worked, Sakura kept glancing from her knife to Konan's back. At this distance, it would be easy to send the weapon sailing right into her vital areas. And she was a good aim too. But as casual as the scene looked, she was certain that Konan had all of her senses trained on her. And since she didn't even know her way to the front door yet, even if she managed to incapacitate her, the chances of escape were slim. So Sakura aborted her plan and continued her task. Soon the meal was prepared and Pein and Madara wandered in a few minutes later, lured by the tempting smell of stir fry. Madara grabbed his plate and headed upstairs while the rest ate in a comfortable silence. After everything was cleared away, Pein disappeared and Konan led Sakura to the common room.

It was quite large, with a couch and television on one side, and a pool table at the other end. In the middle was a smaller table, with a shoji board set up on the top. It looked like someone had left a game in progress, the pieces placed haphazardly across the surface. Sakura was delighted to see bookshelves lining two walls, with various kinds of books and scrolls stacked neatly on them. Konan sat on the couch and flipped on the television. Sakura perused the books until she came across one on medical jutsu she hadn't seen before. Pulling it out, she sat at the other end of the couch and was soon absorbed in reading.

It didn't last long, however. Five minutes into the first chapter, she found that she just didn't want to read anymore. She ought to be entranced, but she couldn't concentrate. Closing the book with a sigh, she set it beside her and glanced at the television. Konan was watching an older looking series about a samurai. Sakura watched it for awhile, studying the moves of the main character as he fought to save the life of his sensei. But as soon as the battle ended, Sakura lost interest and with another sigh, tried to return to her book. Konan glanced over at her, noticing her restlessness, but said nothing. Another ten minutes went by and Sakura found herself staring at the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried, nothing could keep her interest. And worse than that was the despair that kept pushing its way into her brain. Not the normal sort of depression she would expect from being held against her will, it was like a black hole, eating away at her spirit. If only she knew what was causing it. With a third sigh, she turned back to her book, hoping it would at least distract her long enough to relieve her loneliness.

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It was nearing midday when Zetsu looked down to see the kunoichi begin to stir in his arms. He had already crossed the border into Fire Country, but he was still two days from Konoha and the drugs were beginning to wear off. Madara had released her from his genjutsu right before they left the base, and Zetsu had immediately given her a dose of tranquilizer. She had been conscious long enough for them to force some food and water down her, then she was out again. Now she was waking up, and he didn't have anything more to give her. The sedatives he used the first time had been the last of his supply. The plants he cultivated to create it wouldn't mature for another couple of months, so he had been forced to use a milder concoction. One that had a shorter duration and higher tolerance level. But he hadn't figured that she would start resisting it this soon.

Luckily, there was an ANBU patrol station nearby. He would be there in just a few minutes and he could drop her off before she fully awakened. Pausing on a tree branch, he checked the area for chakra signatures. Good, there were only two shinobi at the station. That would make slipping in and out insanely easy. He nearly started forward again when he felt a cool hand slide down the surface of his mandibles. Glancing down, he frowned. The girl was half awake, but her eyelids drooped heavily and what he could see of her blue eyes were glazed and unfocused.

"Poor thing..." he heard her mutter. "...Needs water...Too dry."

Zetsu shifted uncomfortably as heat rose to his face. If he hadn't been carrying her, he would have pulled her hand away quickly. But he had one arm wrapped around her torso, and the other tucked under her thighs. His mandibles prevented him from carrying her over his shoulder the way he would have preferred. So he was stuck with her touching him. He sped on, praying he made it to the station quickly. The feelings her touch was invoking were unfamiliar and made his already divided mind that much more unstable.

She was very still for a few minutes. Sneaking another peek at her delicately formed face, he saw a thoughtful frown cross her features. Then she began mumbling again. "...Excellent fertilizer...at the shop...I can fix you right up, little guy."

Zetsu sighed in relief as the station came in sight. She would be lucid soon, and if that happened before he was safely away, he would have a real mess on his hands. Stopping right outside the door, he checked again to make sure that both shinobi were still inside. As her blue eyes gazed up at him, an impulsive idea popped into his head. He would have argued with himself about it, but there wasn't time. One of the ANBU inside was nearing the door. Reaching inside his cloak, he pulled something out of a hidden pouch as he set her on the ground. Tucking it inside her pajama pocket, he glanced at her one more time before knocking loudly on the door and stepping back, camouflaging himself to the closest tree.

The door opened a moment later and an ANBU wearing a rabbit mask peered out. He shouted to his companion, who joined him to stare down at Ino who had managed to sit up on her own. She smiled up at them and tried to wave, but lost her balance and fell over on her side. "Isn't this Yamanaka?" the rabbit asked.

"Yeah, and she seems to be in pretty bad shape. We need to get her back to Konoha, now." the other replied.

"We can't both leave the station. The relief team is due back in an hour. I'll take her. You stay here and tell the others that we have found one of our missing ninja and to keep a sharp eye out on patrols for Haruno. She may be nearby." the rabbit said.

"Hai. But hurry. She looks like she's been out of it for days."

The rabbit masked ninja gently scooped Ino up and took off, leaving his companion watching from the doorway. From his hiding place in the tree, Zetsu smirked. Good. He had one hour. Not only had he completed his mission, he had scored a decent lunch as well. This was turning out to be a great day. Stepping away from the tree, he revealed himself and watched as the other shinobi froze in shock. Before he had time to react, Zetsu was on him, and a moment later a muffled scream startled a group of birds from their perch in the tree nearby.

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Several hours later, Hidan unsealed the door to the base and strolled in. The kitten, who he had started calling Demon, was still perched on his shoulder, purring contentedly. He had tried several more times to get the damn thing to get down, but each time the only result he got was bloodied fingers and a green eyed glare. With a sigh, he finally relented to leaving him there, and started talking to him. People would probably think he was crazy, but hey, it was company. Even if the little devil was as incorrigible as his old partner.

Hearing the television on in the common room, Hidan wandered over to the doorway. Konan and Sakura were sitting on the couch. One was watching a movie, while the other seemed completely absorbed in a very large, very boring looking book. Noticing his presence, Konan turned to look at him. "Hidan-san. Pein-sama has an assignment for you. He wanted to see you as soon as you returned...is that a cat?"

Pulling her attention from her book, Sakura sighed. She had just gotten into the chapter she was trying to read, and now she was disturbed again. She wanted to lay into Hidan for the interruption, but it wasn't his fault. Turning her head, she looked at him. Amethyst eyes met jade. An unusual feeling of calm swept over her, chasing away the dark loneliness she had been fighting all afternoon. Realizing she was staring, a blush crept up her face and she pulled her eyes away from his, turning her attention to the ball of orange fuzz sitting on his shoulder. Sure enough, a kitten of no more that six or seven weeks sat perched there. He had bright green eyes, which were currently focused on Konan. Glaring, the kitten let out a loud hiss and growled low in its throat.

"No, he's a fuzzy little pain in my ass." Hidan replied sarcastically. Without another word, he turned and walked down the hallway, heading towards the stairs. Konan glanced at Sakura, shrugged, and returned to watching the movie blaring from the television screen. Shaking her head, Sakura glanced back down at her book. She read a few lines, then stopped. Suddenly she had trouble concentrating again. She kept thinking about the look in Hidan's eyes. It was strange that she hadn't noticed it before, but there had been sadness etched deeply into his gaze. Trying again with the book, she managed to get past the first paragraph before a shout from upstairs interrupted her.

"What? You can't be fucking serious!" she heard Hidan's loud voice echo through the building. She gave Konan a questioning look, which was returned with a small smile and another shrug.

Ten minutes later, a very irritated Hidan reappeared. His cloak and scythe were gone, but the kitten trotted along behind him, batting at his sandal every time it stopped. Coming to a halt beside the couch, he glared at Konan. "Konan-san, I'm here to relieve you. Pein-_sama _needs you upstairs." he said formally, with more than a little sarcasm.

Nodding, Konan rose from the couch. Giving Sakura a tight smile, she turned and left the room, leaving the other two shinobi alone. Hidan plopped on the couch in her place, the kitten climbing up his pants until he could jump onto the cushions between them. Wandering over to Sakura's side, he gazed up at her and gave a plaintive mew. Reaching down, she ran her hand along the kitten's back before scratching him under the chin. Setting her book aside, Sakura went to pick the kitten up and cuddle it. Evading her hand, the kitten batted at her fingers before scurrying over to Hidan's side and curling up on his lap.

Hidan picked up the remote and began flipping through the channels, muttering curses under his breath. Glancing over at him, Sakura smiled sweetly. "Something wrong, Hidan-san?" she asked sarcastically. She already knew what the answer would be, but she just couldn't resist tormenting him. If she had to be stuck here, she wouldn't be the only one uncomfortable about it.

He looked at her and glared. "Yeah, I'm fucking stuck babysitting your ass. If there's nothing else, Sakura-_hime_, leave me the hell alone, I'm trying to watch T.V."

Sakura returned his glare, green eyes flashing fire. What an asshole. It wasn't her fault she was a hostage here. Ignoring him, she picked her book back up and returned to reading. They sat in silence for fifteen minutes before Sakura realized that she had been zoning out the whole time and hadn't read a thing. Her eyes started drooping downward and she had to catch her head as it started falling forward. She was suddenly more tired than she had ever been in her life. Her lack of sleep must be getting to her. Glancing over at Hidan, she saw that he had his eyes closed, head tilted back to rest on the back of the couch.

She wanted to wake him and tell him she wanted to go back to her room and sleep, but she didn't want to listen to him bitch about it just now. It would serve him right to have to sit here the whole time she took a nap. She knew she shouldn't relax so much in such an exposed area, but if they had wanted to hurt her, they would have done it already. So she set her book down and curled up against the arm of the couch. Squirming around to get comfortable, she sighed and closed her eyes. That strange peaceful feeling was back, and Sakura let it wash over her as she slipped into unconsciousness.

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"We're here." Kisame said, turning to look at his companion.

Gold eyes glared at him sulkily as the shark nin quickly went through the hand seals that opened the door to the base. Stepping inside, Kisame closed the door behind them. The building was deathly quiet, and he was instantly alert. Grasping Samehada's hilt, he motioned for the ninja behind him to follow quietly. Locating an unfamiliar chakra signature, he crept toward the source, in the common room. Peeking around the corner, he was surprised to see the back of Hidan's head leaning against the top of the couch.

Relaxing, he stepped forward until he could see over the back of it. There, curled up with her head pillowed on his thigh, was Sakura. She was breathing steadily, and Kisame could tell that they were both sound asleep. He was about to swat Hidan on the back of the head and wake him up when a blur of orange landed on the back of the couch, emitting a loud hiss. It was a cat. A chuckle escaped the shark ninja as the kitten hissed again and tried to swat at him. Instantly, Hidan lifted his head and opened his eyes. Looking over his shoulder, he glared at Kisame. He had been sleeping so well, and it pissed him off to be awakened before he was ready.

"Kisame." he half complained as he addressed the man behind him.

"Damn it, Hidan. I'm gone for five days and already you're stealing all the women." Kisame said with a smirk.

Hidan gave him a puzzled look before Kisame pointed down to the couch. Following his direction, he glanced down to find Sakura asleep beside him, her head resting on his leg. His eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't even noticed that she was there when he first woke up. The last thing he knew, they were mad at each other, and now she was cuddled up against him like they had been friends forever. Even stranger was the fact that he didn't mind it at all. Not one to waste an opportunity, Hidan smirked and looked back up at Kisame. "I guess I'm just that fucking good." he said.

"You'd better take her back to her room if she's gonna sleep all day. You know how Konan-san is about falling asleep in here. She'll have Pein-sama after you in a heartbeat."

Rolling his eyes, Hidan slid his leg out from under Sakura's head and stood up. She rolled back to rest on the cushion, but never stirred. Noticing the other shinobi standing quietly in the doorway, Hidan looked him over. He was young, no more than 21 or 22. His head of shaggy crimson hair reminded him of Sasori's, except longer and the ends darkened to black close to his shoulders. His sharp gold eyes watched him guardedly. He had a forehead protector from Iwagakure and he was wearing a black tank top over mesh and a pair of tan cargo pants with black shinobi sandals. His skin was tanned dark and his lean frame indicated that he was a ranged fighter, not built for close combat. "Who the hell is this?" he asked.

"That's Kisho. Pein-sama sent me after him. If he turns out as expected, he'll be our newest member." Kisame replied. "Which reminds me, I have a report to make, so I'll catch you later, Hidan-san."

Hidan grinned. "Coming from you, Fish-Boy, that just sounds strange."

"Not as strange as hearing the sound of your voice after five years, Zombie-Bro." Kisame shot back. The two shinobi exchanged mock glares before Kisame left, Kisho trailing silently behind him.

Leaning down, Hidan scooped Sakura up off the couch. Her eyelids fluttered and she mumbled something incoherent, but soon settled into a deep sleep again. Hidan headed out of the room and started down the hall when he stopped in his tracks. He had no idea where Sakura's room was and Pein forgot to mention it. He started to wake her up and ask, but suddenly decided against it. It wasn't his problem if she passed out and woke up in someone else's bedroom. It would serve her right for falling asleep in the first place.

Walking to his room, he pushed the door open gently. Kicking it shut with his foot, he walked over to his bed and lay her down. Sakura rolled onto her stomach and snuggled her face against his pillow. Standing beside the bed, Hidan studied the woman responsible for his return. He had to admit, she had a beautiful body, lithe and well toned. Her face was pretty, with full lips, a thin nose and cheekbones that accentuated her eyes perfectly. She wore a thoughtful expression as she slept. Absently, Hidan ran a strand of her pale pink hair through his fingers. It was soft, gliding across his skin like silk. She obviously took good care of it, despite its slightly choppy appearance. Suddenly, the image of his hands wrapped around that pink softness as Sakura sat over him naked popped into his mind. His body hardened with desire, and he turned away, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms and screw her senseless. She was asleep, after all. Looking for a good distraction, Hidan leaned over her, took her sandals off, then sat on the edge of the bed and removed his own.

Walking around to the other side and climbing in beside her, Hidan lay on his back, hands behind his head, and stared at the ceiling. Mouth moving silently, he uttered a thankful prayer to Jashin for returning him to the world and allowing him to continue in his service. Finished, he glanced over to see that Sakura had wiggled closer, subconsciously seeking warmth as she slept beside him. Demon had curled up at the bottom of the bed and was purring, a soft counterpoint in the stillness of the room. His hard eyes softened slightly at the peaceful scene. He had never shared a bed with anyone he wasn't fucking, or had a pet before, if you could call that noisy pile of fur and claws a pet. It was actually kind of nice, to not be so alone. As he lay there thinking, his mind was lulled by the steady rhythm of Sakura's breathing. It wasn't long before he closed his eyes as well, sleep creeping back up on him.

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Pein and Madara stood in their office, studying Kisho carefully. Neither spoke for a long time. The crimson haired shinobi stood stiffly before them, head up, gold eyes gleaming in defiance. His captor stood beside him, frowning slightly. It was Kisame who finally broke the silence.

"His chakra level seems fairly low, but with his ability to absorb it from other people, no matter how many jutsu he casts, he is easily replenished."

"I see." Madara said. "And how do you estimate his skill level?"

"He can easily keep up with a jounin." Kisame replied.

Pein glanced at Madara, who nodded, before turning back to Kisho. "Very well. Kisho of Iwagakure, you've just been inducted into Akatsuki. You will be partnered with Kisame, whose chakra is large enough to easily sustain both of you. He will also oversee your training until you reach an acceptable skill level. And you are restricted to the building unless Kisame takes you to the outdoor training grounds to practice your jutsu. That is all, you are both dismissed."

Bowing, Kisame turned and headed out the door. It was strange, having a partner again. After Itachi's death five years ago, he had become quite accustomed to working alone. Even though Itachi was hardly a bother, he found that he actually enjoyed the solitude. And the fact that he didn't have to worry about anyone becoming collateral damage while he was fighting. Like his chakra, his jutsu were generally large and he liked having quite a bit of space whenever he used them. He'd have to remind himself to take more care now that he had someone else to look after. Hopefully, Kisho would work well with him and give him few problems. Kisame smirked. If he did decide to defy him, he could always say he forgot to watch where those chakra sharks were going. They could be quite tricky to direct sometimes.

Kisho glared at the two shinobi before turning and following his new partner. Slamming the door shut behind him, he earned a stern glance from Kisame. But he didn't care. He didn't like any of this. First he was abducted from his village, and now he was partnered with the very man that took everything from him. If they thought he would just follow along with their plans, they were sadly mistaken. His hands were tied for now, but at the first opportunity, he was out of here.

Pein shook his head before turning to Madara. "He seems quite defiant. It may take some time before we can trust him." he said.

"You have one month. In that time I want both Kisho and Sakura fully integrated into Akatsuki. Then I want you to begin your retrieval of the nine tails. I have waited long enough." Madara replied sternly.

Pein nodded as Madara walked out the door. One month. Would that be enough time to convince two enemy ninja to fight for their cause? He would have to act carefully. One wrong move and everything would collapse on him. Especially since Sakura was from the same village as his next target. How close was she to the fox demon's container? His reports said that she was in the same cell he was. If they were just teammates, it would be fine, but if they had become close friends, or more, testing her loyalty would be necessary. Would she turn on them if she knew Uzumaki was in danger? Pein was still in deep thought when Konan walked in minutes later.

Stepping up behind him, Konan wrapped her arms around his neck. Sighing, Pein closed his eyes and savored her warm touch. Oh, how he wished he could hold her with his real body. Unfortunately, it just wasn't possible anymore. Controlling his six paths made his physical body practically immobile. So he would have to make do with what he had. Leaning his head back into her chest, he opened his eyes and looked up into her face. She stared down at him, the corners of her mouth tugging upward in a small smile. His angel. He would do anything to erase the haunted look in her eyes, even conquer the world. Well, he was working on that. But for now, he would try to give her as much peace as he could. She released him as he leaned forward and stood up. Turning around, he gazed at her with desire shining in his eyes. Striding up to her, he scooped her up into his arms. Dropping a chaste kiss on her surprised face, he took off towards their room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sakura moaned as her mind forced her body awake once again. She was so comfortable and she had slept so well, she didn't want it to end. But it was morning and time to get up. Snuggling deeper into the pillow, she inhaled the fresh scent of linen and man. ...What the...? Fully alert now, her muscles tensed. That was when she felt the weight of an arm thrown around her torso and heard the light steady breathing of someone asleep beside her. Sakura's eyes flew open. Reacting on instinct, she gathered chakra to her legs an instant before rolling away and delivering a swift kick to the body beside her.

Amethyst eyes snapped open as Hidan went sailing across his bedroom. Before he could impact the wall, a string of curses were flying out of his mouth. Turning in midair, he planted one bare foot on the wall as he hit, flipping forward to land in a defensive crouch on the floor. Sakura's eyes widened as she realized what she had just done. Hidan glared at her for an instant, then disappeared. Before she had time to react, she was tackled from the side. Hitting the mattress and landing on her back, she gasped as a weight settled on her stomach. Hidan had straddled her, her hands neatly pinned beneath his knees.

Sakura struggled to free herself. Pinned down the way she was, she couldn't get any force behind a punch or kick, even with chakra. When she finally gave up, she stilled and glared at him. "Let. Me. Go. ...Now." she ground out.

Hidan stared down at her, his eyes hard and glinting. "What the hell, bitch? Is this how you wake everyone up first thing in the morning?" he yelled at her.

"Well, you'd react the same way if you woke up in a strange bedroom and had no idea how you got there!" she yelled back.

"No, I wouldn't! I'd wonder what the fuck I did right the night before!"

Sakura's mouth dropped open as she realized his implications and fell silent. A blush crept up her face and she quickly averted her gaze. Hidan's eyes turned teasing as he grinned at her sudden discomfort. He was about to say something that would really make her red when the door slammed open and in walked Konan. She had her arms folded across her chest and she looked downright pissed. Raising an eyebrow at the position she found the two in, she shook her head before glaring at Hidan. Demon, who had been asleep in the window this whole time, popped his eyes open and growled at the intruder.

"Hidan, if you are going to keep Sakura out of her room all night, you need to let Pein-sama know. He's having a fit because she wasn't there when I went to fetch her for breakfast." she said sternly.

Sakura's blush deepened. This was just great. Now, not only did the entire Akatsuki know that she had spent the night in Hidan's bedroom, they had been caught in a less-than-innocent looking position. Squirming to be let up, she glared at Hidan. He just smirked at her and didn't budge. Turning back to Konan, he gave her an unrepentant look. "It's not my fault. She fell asleep on the couch yesterday. Everyone knows you don't allow us to do that, so I moved her. I had no idea which bedroom was hers, since no one _told_ me, so I just put her in here for the night."

"It should have been obvious, since hers is the only room with a chakra seal on the door. Now let her up, so she can go change and eat breakfast." Konan commanded.

Hidan mentally slapped himself. How could he have missed that? It's a good thing Kakuzu wasn't around. He would have tormented him endlessly over such a mistake. Slowly rolling off of Sakura, he grinned as she glared at him before sliding out of his bed. She was almost as much fun embarrassed as she was when she was angry. He watched as she left the room with Konan, slamming his door behind her. He started to laugh, but winced as pain shot through his stomach. She had one hell of a powerful kick. Shaking his head, he cleared his mind as he pulled his pendant from his neck to begin his morning prayer.

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"Ino, are you sure that's all you remember?" Tsunade said from her place beside the blonde's hospital bed.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama. After I came to, it was only a few minutes before they put me under a genjutsu." Ino replied. "Shortly after they released me from it, they gave me food and water, then knocked me out with some kind of drug."

"You couldn't break the genjutsu?" Tsunade asked. Ino had a strong mind and was naturally immune to most illusions.

"No, ma'am. After I realized what was happening, I tried everything I could to free myself, but it was no use. It was obviously a high level jutsu."

"And you're sure it was Hidan's body you saw on the table?"

Ino narrowed her eyes. "There was no mistaking it."

"They didn't mention Sakura at all, or why they kidnapped the both of you?" Tsunade asked.

Ino stared at her hands in silence. This was all her fault. If she hadn't gone to Sakura's and made her stay up with her, they wouldn't have been too tired to detect the intruder. Now her best friend was either in the hands of the Akatsuki or dead, and all because of her mistake. Fighting to keep her emotions under control, she answered in a quiet voice. "No. I kept asking them where she was, and why we were there, but they just stared at me and didn't say a word."

"All right. Thank you Ino. Get some rest now, and drink plenty of water. You're severely dehydrated, so it will be a few days before you can leave the hospital. I'm allowing visitors today, so I'm sure your teammates will be by soon. Call me at once if you feel worse or remember anything at all. Even if it seems insignificant, it may be important."

Ino nodded and Tsunade left the room. Her heels clicked loudly on the hard floor as she walked down the hallway, an agitated look on her face. Damn it. The Akatsuki had done their job well. They had left her no clues, save for the fact of their involvement in the abduction of two of Konoha's top kunoichi. That, and she knew for sure that they had Hidan's body now. What were they planning? Sakura was an excellent medic, but even her skills wouldn't be able to bring Hidan back from the dead. Were they trying to bait Naruto with her? It was nearly a certainty that as soon as Naruto returned from Sage training, and found out that she had been kidnapped, he would go after her immediately.

A rumble echoed down the hallway somewhere in front of her and a shout sounded nearby. Tsunade stepped to the side just in time to keep from being barreled over by Choji, who was racing down the hallway, potato chip bag in hand. Her hair was blown across her face from the force of his passing. She stared after him as he rounded the corner into Ino's room. A crash sounded seconds later, and Ino let out an irritated squeal. Shaking her head, Tsunade turned back around just in time to see Shikamaru stroll by, hands behind his head. He had been vigilant in Konoha's search for the missing ninja, but now that he knew Ino was safe, he was back to being his normal lazy self.

Tsunade returned his respectful nod before continuing down the hallway. She turned a corner and found herself staring into the bird mask of one of her ANBU. He bowed swiftly before speaking. "Hokage-sama, I have an emergency report from the Northern ANBU Patrol Station. It seems that an hour after Yamanka was found, the local patrol returned to find blood in the doorway and the remaining station guard missing."

Tsunade frowned. More wonderful news. "Thank you. I'll assemble a search team and send them to the area immediately."

The ANBU bowed again before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Tsunade headed back to her office, a troubled look on her face. She had her hands full already, and with this latest disappearance, things were not looking good for Konoha.

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Sakura glared at Hidan. Hidan glared at Sakura. Demon glared at Konan from his perch on Hidan's shoulder. Konan returned the kitten's glare with one of her own. Kisho glared at Pein, who just looked bored. Madara was upstairs, eating alone. Kisame set lunch down on the table and, taking in the tenseness of the room, laughed. "My, my, aren't we a happy little crew."

Five glares and one mask of indifference were turned his way, and he gulped before sinking into his chair. Things were definitely more lively when Madara was masquerading as Tobi and Deidara was still alive. Those two could lighten up a room instantly. Shaking his head, he grabbed a bowl of rice and began to eat. A half hour of silence later and everyone was finished. Pein and Konan headed back upstairs. Kisame drug Kisho off for another round of training. Hidan and Sakura remained at the table.

Sakura studied the grain of the wood for a long time. She was in no hurry to go anywhere at the moment. It had been a rough morning, to say the least. During breakfast, Hidan had made a comment about the way she slept on her stomach, embarrassing her in front of everyone. She had shot back with 'I hope I didn't miss attaching a certain part of your anatomy. It's so small after all.'. That had really pissed him off. As punishment, he didn't send her back to her room, like she figured he would. Instead, he made her sit in the hallway all morning. She had to hand it to him, it was a good method of torture. She wasn't there ten minutes before she started to go crazy with boredom. Hidan just leaned against the wall, arms crossed, smirking every time she frowned. It reminded her of being back at the academy. She and Ino had gotten into an argument in class and were both sent out to spend the rest of the afternoon watching people shake their heads at them as they passed.

That was when things really got chaotic. Two hours of sitting in the hallway went by, when all of a sudden, Kisho went racing past them, Kisame hot on his heels. A crash sounded as the redhead was tackled by the front door. Pein strolled by a minute later, looking furious. He grabbed Kisho and headed up the stairs with him. They found out later that he had punched Kisame in the face, attempting to knock him out, and was trying to escape. Needless to say, he was much more docile when he returned from upstairs. Just when things had settled down again, a high pitched squeal echoed through the building from the common room. A scuffling noise could be heard, and a very angry Konan emerged minutes later, with Demon dangling from her hand by the scruff of his neck. He had bits of paper stuck in his fur and whiskers, and Konan's flower was conspicuously missing from her hair.

Hidan started laughing, and was rewarded with a cat being tossed on him. He began swearing loudly as Demon clawed his way up bare chest to his favorite spot on Hidan's shoulder. Sakura erupted in a fit of giggles. She just couldn't help it. The pained look on his face was priceless. Konan glared at both of them before heading upstairs to make another flower. Suddenly angry that she was laughing at him, Hidan grabbed Sakura by the elbow, yanking her to her feet, and started down the hallway. Finding her room quickly, he shoved her inside and slammed the door. Sealing it, he cursed loudly before walking to his own room.

Sakura glared at her door before crossing her arms over her chest and walking over to the bed. Plopping down, she sighed. Luckily, it was only a couple of hours until lunch time, and she could come out to eat. Falling backwards, she stared at the ceiling. She tried to take a nap, but sleep wouldn't come. That was when she realized that she was lonely again. It swept over her, leaving behind an empty ache. She tried to think of anything to keep her mind occupied, but the harder she tried, the worse it got. And stranger still, Hidan's face kept popping up in her mind. She wound up pacing the room, agitated to the point of nearly screaming. Finally, Konan came and got her for lunch.

Now here she was, sitting calmly at the table. Sakura knew she should apologize for laughing at him, but she was still ticked at him for locking her in her room. She could feel Hidan's eyes on her, but he didn't speak. Lifting her head, she met his gaze. His dark violet eyes bored into her, green flecks catching the light. His stare was uncomfortably intense, so Sakura pulled away and studied his face. She couldn't deny it, he was very handsome. His features were so well put together, his face looked almost angelic. The only thing that gave away his volatile demeanor were his eyes. ...Wait a minute. Locking gazes again, she studied his pupils. How she could have missed it before, she didn't know. His eyes were the exact opposite of hers, in terms of color.

Hidan watched Sakura as they sat at the table. She seemed to be deep in thought, but what about, he couldn't guess. Then she lifted her head and stared right into his eyes. Mesmerized, he felt himself get caught up by her jade orbs. He leaned forward slightly as he felt the gravity of her eyes begin to pull him under. He watched the light glint off of the small violet flecks that swam around in their tiny worlds of green. Then, it was gone. She had broke his gaze and was looking at his chin. He watched her slender fingers as they tapped on the tabletop before she looked in his eyes again and spoke.

"Hidan-san, have your eyes always been the exact color they are now?" she asked curiously.

"Why the hell do you want to know?"

"Because after Pein used my blood to help revive you, my eyes gained the violet flecks they have now. I figured that since they are the exact same shade as your eyes, it must be some sort of side effect. I can think of no other explanation for it." Sakura replied.

Hidan's eyes widened. Pein had used her blood? Distracted from her question, he leaned forward. "What did he do, exactly?" he asked forcefully.

Sakura described the resurrection jutsu, up until the time she lost consciousness. Hidan listened intently, a spark of curiosity in his eyes. She felt a little stab of guilt as she spoke. A part of her felt like she was collaborating with an enemy. A louder part countered that if she wanted to gain any information, it didn't hurt to give a little. But there was no way she was going to tell him about meeting Jashin. She still wasn't entirely sure the whole thing was real. The last thing she needed was everyone thinking she was nuts. It was already bad enough that she was having unexplainable fits of pain.

A grin spread across the immortal's face. "That's fucking incredible!" Hidan was saying excitedly. "That means you're the only person I know of to survive being a sacrifice to Jashin. He must still have plans for you, to honor you by postponing his judgment. I'll have to take you to the temple some time and let Yaiba meet you."

Sakura swallowed hard. If he only knew...

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"Kisho, it's your turn to rack them." Kisame said.

"Fine. But if I win this one, I get a day off." the redhead replied as he started pulling balls out of the nearest pocket.

"Suits me. You'll need it after the sparring match I just won from you. And if I win, Sakura has to make dinner." The shark nin said as he turned to the kunoichi beside him. "What about you, Pinky?"

"If I win, I want my freedom." she replied nonchalantly. Kisho lifted his head to look at her before silently returning to his task.

Kisame laughed and shook his head. "You've tried that twice already. Pick something else."

"You're just no fun, Kisame-san. Fine, if I win, you both have to get me a book we don't already have here. Deal?"

"Deal." Kisame and Kisho replied in unison.

Picking up her cue, Sakura backed up to give the others room to shoot. Kisame went first, scattering the balls across the table with a powerful stroke. Sakura smiled as the shark ninja started swearing under his breath when he aimed again and missed a hard shot. Kisho smirked and shook his hair out of his eyes to take his turn. He sunk two balls, but missed the third. His gold eyes narrowed in frustration and he stepped back. Sakura circled the table until she found the angle she wanted. Lining up her shot, she tapped the cue ball, setting off a chain reaction that sunk two balls. She had just took aim on her third, when movement from the doorway caught her attention, and she missed completely. Straightening, she turned to see who had come in.

Hidan strolled into the room, cloak on and scythe in hand. Demon was nowhere in sight, probably locked away in his bedroom. After crossing paths with Konan, he was ordered to keep his 'pet' under better control. Sakura looked over at him just as he ran a hand through his short silver hair. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept in weeks. As he met her gaze, a feeling of calm came over her and she was suddenly feeling extremely tired. Sighing in frustration, she chalked her cue. If she didn't figure out what was wrong with her soon, she was sure she would scream. She still didn't sleep well at night, and it often led to her crashing on the couch whenever Hidan watched television with her in the evenings. But as soon as he took her to her room and shut the door, she was wide awake again.

"I'm going out, I'll be back in an hour." Hidan said, interrupting her thoughts.

"Off to slay some hapless sinner?" Kisame asked with a smirk.

"Damn straight!" he answered enthusiastically before disappearing down the hallway.

Sakura's heart hit her stomach. They might be able to joke about it, but the truth of it didn't escape her. Hidan was about to murder someone in cold blood. And all for the sake of his religion. Her cue clattered to the floor as she raced out of the room after him, two pairs of curious eyes following her movements. He had just begun the hand seals to unlock the door when she reached him. He turned at her approach, and she came to a stop. "Hidan, wait." she said breathlessly.

"I'd love to take you along, Sakura, but Pein would have my ass for it." he said with a grin.

"Hidan, do you really have to do this? You're about to kill someone, and you're acting like it's no big deal!" she asked loudly, an angry glint in her eyes.

His grin faded into a hard line of resolve and the haunting sadness in his eyes became more prominent. He walked over to her, his commanding presence forcing her to back up, until she was stopped by the wall. Still he came, until he was standing so close to her, they were nearly touching. Sakura was afraid and excited at the same time. Her heart was pounding and her breathing rapid as her body reacted to the sudden tenseness of the situation. She could feel his warm breath on her skin as he closed in on her. He stared at her a long time, not speaking. Suddenly leaning forward, he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before pulling back to look her in the eyes.

"It is not for either one of us to question the will of Jashin. And it is _always _a big deal. Each death in his name is appreciated and celebrated in a way that they could never receive during their pathetic lives." he said softly.

Sakura watched silently as Hidan stepped away, wove the signs and unsealed the door. Pulling it open, he glanced back at her one last time before shutting it gently behind him. Moments later, the seal reactivated, pulsing with the flow of chakra. She stared blankly at the sturdy wood as sadness swept over her. He was gone and she had failed to stop him. A little dazed, she wandered back to the common room. If Pein or Madara saw her in the hallway alone, she would be forced back to her room.

Her thoughts turned to what had just happened. Hidan had kissed her before he left. Why? She was fairly certain that he wasn't really attracted to her. According to him, she was 'the biggest pain in the ass that ever lived.' Up until a few days ago, at least. Ever since their conversation in the kitchen, he had started acting differently around her. Almost like he gained a subtle respect for her that he didn't show anyone else. Maybe that had something to do with it.

Kisame watched her as she walked back over to the pool table and picked her cue up. "That is just creepy." he said.

"What is?" Kisho asked.

"You need to learn to pay more attention to your surroundings, Kisho, if you haven't noticed it by now." he chided. "I was talking about how Hidan and Sakura have the same chakra signature. I've never heard of that happening before, not even with twins. You feel one of them coming, but you're never sure which one will pop around the corner. And it's different from before. Sakura's chakra has definitely changed from when she first arrived at the base."

Sakura's eyes widened as she absorbed this new information. They had the same chakra signature? Why hadn't she noticed? And what could have possibly caused it? The resurrection jutsu? Jashin? More questions swirled in her head as the possibilities opened up before her. She must have been standing there for several minutes, completely out of it. The next thing she knew, Kisame was shaking her shoulder and asking her if she was all right. Giving him a smile and a nod, she turned her attention back to their game.

As they played, Sakura studied the other two shinobi. She had only been here about a week, but already she seemed to fit in with her new companions. Her nervousness had quickly wore off, and she began relaxing whenever the others were around. They still kept a sharp eye on her, but they weren't hostile, and she often found herself engaged in normal conversation, as if she had belonged there the whole time. She didn't forget where she was or why, but everyone was easy to get along with, and she found that she had to remind herself more and more that they were her enemies and she should keep herself distanced.

Twenty minutes later, Sakura smirked as the eight ball sunk into the far pocket with a satisfying thud. That was the third game she had won today. Kisho pouted, his long hair falling back into his eyes. Kisame crossed his massive arms across his chest and frowned. Then an idea came to him and he grinned. "Hey Pinkie, you should come drinking with us sometime. I'll bet you can make a killing hustling the tables."

Sakura laughed but shook her head. "I'm not that good, Kisame-san."

"Sure you are! You could...Hey Sakura, what's wrong?"

"D-damn it, not again!" Sakura cursed and gripped the edge of the pool table as pain shot through her shoulder. Sweat instantly broke out on her forehead and she began breathing heavily. Dropping her head, she closed her eyes as the pain intensified. She felt Kisame rush over to her just as her leg felt like it had been pierced and she fell to her knees. He ordered his partner to fetch Konan before scooping her up and walking over to the couch. Laying her gently down, he looked her over for any sign of injury, but could find none.

"Sakura-san, what's going on with you?" Kisame asked.

"I d-don't know. It just hurts." she replied between clenched teeth. She muffled a scream with her hand as her stomach felt like it was being ripped open. Her body bucked, trying to escape the pain, and Kisame had to hold her down to keep her from falling off the couch. Konan arrived a moment later, Pein right behind her. Kisame backed up to give the kunoichi room. But there was nothing anyone could do, except watch. Sakura screamed loudly as her chest began hurting again, just like the last time. Her body contorted, then suddenly relaxed as ecstasy swept over her. Her back arched and she moaned loudly an instant before she passed out.

Konan turned and looked at Pein. "This is just like before. Were you right?" she asked.

Pein nodded. "There's no doubt about it."

Kisame watched as Pein left the room, then turned to Konan. "Will she be alright?"

"She'll be fine." Konan replied.

Sakura's eyelids fluttered as she began to stir. She smiled at how great she felt, but it quickly morphed to a frown. It had happened again, and she was still no closer to knowing why. Opening her eyes, she saw Konan and Kisame standing over her. The shark-nin looked worried, but Konan just looked thoughtful. Smiling weakly, she sat up. "Gomen." she apologized. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Konan smiled. "It's all right. Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah."

Kisame crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a mock glare. "Don't do that again."

Sakura let out a light laugh. "I'll try not to."

He grinned at her before excusing himself to go find Kisho for another round of training. Konan handed her the book she had been reading for the last few days and sat on the other end of the couch. She pulled a stack of papers seemingly out of nowhere and absently began folding them. Sakura watched her for awhile, amazed at the skill the kunoichi displayed as she deftly shaped the paper into birds and animals. Opening her book, she stared at the page she was on for a long time. But once again, she couldn't concentrate. An overwhelming sense of despair settled over her. Here she was, Haruno Sakura, apprentice to the Godaime Hokage, best medic in Konoha, and teammate to one of the most enigmatic ninja in the history of shinobi. And she was stuck. Stuck as a hostage to the Akatsuki, with a medical condition she could neither diagnose or cure, and no end or help in sight.

Presently, the front door opened and Hidan appeared in the common room a moment later. Without turning her head, Konan spoke. "Hidan-san, Pein-sama needs to see both you and Sakura-san upstairs right away."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Pein was sitting behind his desk, fingers laced in front of him when Hidan and Sakura walked in. He seemed deep in thought, and didn't acknowledge them when they approached. Hidan cleared his throat, and Pein glanced up, studied them for a long moment, then spoke.

"Sakura-san, you were wondering what was causing the the fits you've been having. I now have the answer for you."

Sakura brightened and was about to ask what it was, when Hidan looked between them. "What the hell are you talking about? She has fits?"

Pein glanced at him, a look of long-suffering on his face. "Yes, Hidan-san. I'm about to explain it, if you'll be patient a second. But let's start from the beginning. After Sakura and I brought you back, you both seemed changed. The first difference I noticed was that your chakra signatures were not the same ones you had before. And the new chakra pattern you both have is identical."

Hidan just stared at him and Sakura nodded. She would have been shocked too had she not already been told about it by Kisame. Pein continued. "I'm not sure whether this is a result of the jutsu we used or not. Regardless of the reason, it seems that the two of you are now connected. I can't tell you how long it will last or how deep the connection goes, but I can tell you what I have noticed so far.

"It seems that the two of you can't be separated for long periods of time. Whenever you leave, Hidan-san, Sakura seems to get very depressed and starts moping. As soon as you return, she is back to her normal self again. And judging by how tired you both look, I'm guessing the last time either of you got any amount of sleep was when you took her to your room. Is that correct?" he asked.

Hidan and Sakura both nodded their affirmation, then looked at each other, surprised. "Also, whenever you are performing one of your rituals, she experiences everything you do." Pein added.

"What! Are you fucking serious?" Hidan asked, glancing over at Sakura. She was standing silently beside him, her head dropped. From the look she had on her face, he guessed she was as shocked as he was.

Sakura stared at the floor as her mind raced, trying to process his words. If what he was saying was true, then what she had been feeling was the pain of Hidan's sacrifices. While she thought she was dying, someone, somewhere else, was. Raising her head, she looked Pein straight in the eyes. "Pein-sama, are you certain that is what it is?"

"Absolutely. I had Hidan followed when he went out earlier today, in order to prove my theory. Your attack of pain happened at exactly the same time he began his ritual, and in the same places on the body that he used his pike on. And once it was completed, you both passed out at the same time."

"So, if he stops his sacrifices, I'll stop having these painful fainting spells?" she asked, a hopeful note in her voice.

"I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that. Hidan doesn't just perform his rituals because he wants to. They are what keeps him immortal, so he can't stop. I know you were hoping he could refrain, but that's just not possible." Pein explained to her.

Hidan glared at him. He wasn't comfortable with people knowing things about him that could possibly be exploited as a weakness. Sakura might not seem like the type to do that, and probably wasn't, but where he was raised, a trusting shinobi was a dead one. "Was that really fucking necessary?" he asked.

Pein turned to the immortal and nodded. "I'm sorry Hidan-san, but she's just as involved in it as you are. She deserves to know."

Hidan continued his rant with how disrespectful it was for Pein to follow him around when he was in the middle of a religious exercise. Sakura stood there as her mind absorbed this latest shock. Pein's logic seemed flawless. That meant that as long as they were connected, every time Hidan made a sacrifice, she would feel it. There was no cure, and as far as she knew, it wouldn't end until the connection was broken. Fear threatened to overwhelm her. Pushing it aside for the moment, she concentrated on analyzing everything else he said. Their combined chakra would explain the new differences in eye color. At least that part made sense now. And if they were forced to work together, they would have a definite tactical advantage. Their opponents would only sense one enemy, not two. That would be perfect for ambush style fighting.

It was no wonder Pein refused to send her home. Not only was she an asset to the Akatsuki, but a weakness as well. If she and Hidan were still connected when she returned, then Konoha would have an easy means to either kill or disable him. All they would have to do would be to wait until he was performing a ritual, then use her to strike. Then all of Pein's efforts to bring him back and strengthen the organization would be for nothing. If it worked in reverse, that is. She would have to find out for sure.

"Now," Pein said when he finally got tired of Hidan's complaining and interrupted him. "this is what you're going to do. I want Sakura moved into your room, Hidan-san. Neither one of you are any good to me walking around like half dead zombies."

Sakura started to protest, but was stopped when Pein raised his hand for silence. "Where you sleep in the room is not my concern as long as you do so."

"Also, Sakura is solely your responsibility from now on." Pein continued, turning back to Hidan. "You can take her with you when you go out. There's no need to restrict her movements anymore. I'm pretty sure she understands what will happen if she decides to leave us. If she does make that mistake, it's up to you to bring her back and punish her as you see fit. That is all, you are both dismissed."

Hidan gave Pein a mock salute, then turned and left the room. As he walked, he let his mind wrap around what the orange haired shinobi had just told him. Sakura was tied to him, both physically and emotionally. And it had started from the time they had revived him. It had to be an intervention from Jashin. There was no other explanation for it. But why? The death god had little use for things like relationships. So he must have some sort of plan that required both of them. Glancing behind him, he watched Sakura as she stared at the floor, following him blindly. She had been awfully accepting of everything. He began to suspect that maybe she knew something more about what was going on than she was telling. Whatever it was, he would find out in time, and that, he had in spades.

Sakura followed Hidan down the stairs. She was running on autopilot, her mind locked in a mental battle with itself. As she struggled to accept her new reality, she was trying to shut it out at the same time. This wasn't happening, it just wasn't possible. People couldn't get locked together like this, couldn't feel what the other was doing physically. But if everything she had been told was true, Jashin really hadn't been joking when he said she had no choice in the matter. She was halfway down the hallway when she realized she couldn't breathe. She started gasping for air as denial hit her hard. She had to get out, now. She would get back to Konoha, explain everything to Tsunade, and together they would fix it all. This insanity would end and things would return to normal.

In a panic, she took off at a dead run. Rapid footsteps followed her, and she thought she heard a shout, but she ignored it and kept going. If she could make it past the front door, she would be free. They would never be able to catch her once she was outside. Coming to a halt at the chakra barrier, she rapidly began forming the hand signs she had subconsciously memorized when she watched Hidan leave earlier that day. She had just finished the last one and felt the chakra seal fall when she was slammed into the wall from behind. She didn't have to look to know who it was.

Hidan had managed to grab her hands, and had her bodily pressed into the wall. Her chest was squished and she could feel the coolness of the plaster on her cheek and thighs. The weight on her back kept her from moving enough to retaliate or struggle. Her panic intensified and her body tensed as she felt his breath on her neck. He could do anything he wanted to her right now, and she would be powerless to stop it. Closing her eyes, she pushed down the urge to fight him. She was caught, and resisting would only worsen whatever Hidan planned on doing to her for trying to escape.

After a moment, he spoke. "Sakura, you need to calm the fuck down. I didn't ask for this shit either, but we're stuck with it. Freaking out will only make things worse. Now, why don't we go get your clothes and talk about it some more in my room?"

She didn't answer right away, and several minutes passed in silence as they both tried to steady their rapid breathing. Hidan's close proximity worked its magic, eating away at her distress and replacing it with a feeling of serenity. As her mind calmed, Sakura's body began to stir. Her stomach knotted and she felt herself relax as the heat from his body seeped through her clothing, countering the coolness of the wall in front of her. His breath whispering over the skin of her neck no longer made her feel threatened, and instead, made chill bumps break out on her arms. He didn't seem inclined to move anytime soon, and the pressure from his body against hers made her insides tingle. A blush crossed her face at her body's traitorous reaction. Clamping down on her hormones, she focused on her situation.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura nodded. He was right. Freaking out would only cause her to make stupid mistakes. She needed some time to think. Her head was still reeling from Pein's meeting and her reaction to Hidan. But at least for now she had it under control. Maybe she could come up with a way to break the effects of the jutsu on her own. She hated this feeling of dependency. It reminded her too much of the way her life was before Tsunade accepted her as an apprentice. Always having to rely on others because she couldn't do it herself. She would _not_ be that way again. Ever.

Hidan released her and stepped back. Her jade eyes flashed fire at him before she headed in the opposite direction, towards her room. He figured she would be angry when he stopped her from escaping, but he never expected to see the hint of desire in her eyes when she glared at him. The combination of defiance and lust in her gaze made his body react. Trying his best to ignore it, Hidan swiftly resealed the door and followed her. It was amazing to him that she had learned how to unlock the seal after only seeing it one time. Few shinobi could undo such a complicated jutsu so quickly. He was curious to see just how talented a ninja she was.

Sakura reached her door only to discover that the seal keeping it locked had already been dispelled. Turning the knob, she pushed it open and stepped inside. Hidan stood in the doorway, watching as she gathered up the few articles of clothing that Konan had given her. Finished, she silently followed him to his room and walked inside when he held the door open for her. He cleared out the top drawer of his dresser for her use, and after she had stowed her things away, sat on the edge of the bed. She was tired, all the fight drained out of her in the few minutes it took to grab her clothes.

Glancing around his room, Sakura was suddenly nervous. She wanted to sleep, but there was no way she was going to share a bed with him. And it wasn't just the fact that she didn't trust him. After what happened in the hallway a few minutes ago, she didn't trust herself either. Looking from the pillows to Hidan, she shook her head. "I'm not sleeping in the same bed with you."

Hidan smirked and leaned against the dresser. If she thought he was chivalrous and would sleep on the floor while she was cozy and comfortable in his bed, she had another thing coming. "If you don't fucking like it, the floor's not crowded." he said, earning a glare. "Besides, I didn't do anything to you the last time, did I? If I remember correctly, it was you who didn't make a very good bed partner."

Sakura blushed in embarrassment. He just had to bring that up. "Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway," she said, changing the subject. "Do you have any idea how long this connection will last?"

"No. Do you?"

"No."

Silence...

The awkward tension mounted in the room as Sakura and Hidan watched each other. Her eyes followed his hand as he lifted it and ran it through his short silver hair. Unable to stand the quiet any longer, she averted her gaze and started fingering the blanket beneath her. "Hidan-san, are you sure that you have to keep making sacrifices?"

Hidan straightened and walked over to stand in front of her. Cupping her chin in his hand, he lifted her head until their eyes met. "Yes." he answered. Then he gave her a wicked grin. "But you can't deny that you enjoy it. There is nothing on this fucked up planet that compares to the rush that follows death."

She shook her head, but she knew he could see the truth in her eyes. Even if it hurt like hell, she did enjoy how relaxed and serene she felt afterward. "But don't you think killing people for it is just a little bit wrong?"

He shrugged, but didn't let go of her chin. "Everyone has to die sometime." His eyes looked sad for an instant, then it disappeared. Releasing her, he stepped back. "I'm not gonna sit around and argue with you. I'm tired as hell. I hope Pein was right and I'll get some sleep tonight. And you better not kick me again, or your ass will be sleeping on the floor with the cat." he said in mock irritation.

"Just don't do anything to get kicked, and I won't have anything to worry about." she shot back, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

Hidan quickly turned his back to her. She had a feeling he was upset over what she just said, but she couldn't tell for sure. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet. "Sakura, Jashin-sama entrusted you to me for some reason. So, out of all the people in the world, you are probably the safest with me. I'm not going to hurt you..." Turning his head, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "...anymore than necessary. Now let's get some sleep before I pass out fucking standing up."

Sighing, Sakura gave in. Too tired to argue, she slipped off her sandals and lay down. They were both adults, right? It should be no big deal to share a bed and be civil about it. Scooting as close to the edge as she could, she pulled the sheet up to her chin and closed her eyes. She listened to Hidan moving around the room and Demon's light pattering as he scurried from one place to another. Soon, she felt the bed shift as Hidan settled down beside her. She was still nervous, but her rebellious body was soon relaxed and she felt her mind start to drift. The last thing she heard was the sound of Hidan quietly muttering and Demon purring as he settled on the bed between them.

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Hidan woke first, the sound of the pounding rain outside pulling him from sleep. He glanced over to see that Sakura had rolled onto her stomach in the middle of the night and had her face buried in the pillow. A calm feeling swept over him as he watched the rise and fall of her back as she breathed. He had no idea why Jashin had sent her to him, and in truth, he had no idea what he should do about it. He had been alone since leaving his home village, and for the most part, preferred it that way. Now they were stuck together indefinitely.

It wasn't so bad though. She was pretty, skilled, and had a temper that matched his own. Reaching over, he rolled a strand of her hair through his fingers. It was such an unusual color, but he found that he liked it. Releasing her, he sat up and dropped his legs over the side of the bed. Stretching, he yawned and ran a hand through his hair. Demon stretched as well and stalked up the bed. He curled up on the abandoned pillow, seeking the residual warmth left behind. Hidan's stomach growled loudly. He realized that once again, he had missed dinner in favor of sleep.

Sakura awoke to the sound of the rain pounding on the glass outside. It was later than she normally got up, but her exhaustion was gone. Her emotions were stable, with no trace of the yawning emptiness that had been bothering her. In fact, she felt quite peaceful. So much so, that she could just lay there and not move forever. Then she remembered that she wasn't alone.

Lifting her head, she turned it to see that Hidan was already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed, stretching. He slept only in a pair of pants and nothing else. Then she realized that the whole time she had known him, she had never seen him with a shirt on. Not once. He hadn't noticed that she was up yet, so she let her gaze roam his muscular back. She practically drooled over his perfectly toned form and lightly tanned skin. There wasn't a scar to be seen anywhere, no sign at all that just a week ago he had been torn up like a broken jigsaw puzzle. Jashin must have blessed him with an incredible healing ability. Well, if she had to have a bed partner, an attractive one wasn't a bad bonus. Reining in her thoughts before they wandered too far, she rolled onto her back and waited for Hidan to turn around.

The bed shifted behind Hidan and he turned to see that Sakura was awake. She had rolled onto her back and was watching him. Her green eyes were calm and she had a thoughtful expression on her face. Sitting up, she turned away from him. Sliding out of the bed, she stretched before leaning down to pull her sandals on. He couldn't help but let his eyes wander over her small frame as she did so. Maybe this whole roommate thing wasn't such a bad idea. Especially if she always looked so good first thing in the morning. As she slid the last one on, her stomach rumbled loudly and she blushed. Hidan grinned.

"Are you hungry? We did miss dinner last night." he asked.

"Starved. Let's go eat breakfast." she replied.

"As you wish, Sakura-hime." he said as she glared at him. She really hated it when he called her that. But he just couldn't resist getting a rise out of her. She was gorgeous when she was pissed. Then an idea came to him. "Hey, let's get some training in afterwards. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling really fucking rusty."

Sakura's face softened. It had been awhile since she had a good workout, and it would be a good opportunity to see what Hidan could do. "Sure, but will I be allowed to? I am technically still a hostage, you know."

"I'm sure Pein won't mind if we stick with taijutsu. And who gives a damn what he thinks anyway? I'm in charge of what you do, remember?"

Nodding, Sakura did her best to finger comb her hair into order. With a frown, she turned and looked at Hidan. "Afterward, can I go get a few things? If I'm going to be here awhile, I'll need more than a couple changes of clothes."

Hidan sighed. Going shopping was the last thing on his list of things to do, but he supposed it was unavoidable. "Are you always going to be this fucking difficult?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Let's go eat breakfast."

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Sakura stood in the training room, looking around. It was massive and bare, with stone walls and a polished wooden floor. Weapons stands lined the walls and a few benches were scattered between. She had to admit, it was impressive. Standing opposite was Hidan, wearing only a pair of dark blue pants and his pendant. Following his lead, she removed her shoes and set them against the closest wall. The cold of the floor seeped up through the soles of her feet, sending goosebumps up her legs. But it was a nice change compared to the heat of the summer air in the rest of the building.

Dropping to a defensive stance, she signaled to Hidan that she was ready. He dropped into a similar pose. Neither moved for a long moment, sizing the other up. Excitement coursed through Sakura. She would get to test her skills against an S-class shinobi without her life being in danger. She hoped. A rare occurrence, and she fully intended to learn as much as she could. She was surprised at how easily Pein had agreed to it. Either he trusted her far too easily, or that's what he wanted her to think.

"Come on, Sakura! I'm not gonna fucking stand around all day. It's impossible to hurt me, so let's see what you've got." Hidan complained loudly.

Taking the bait, Sakura charged. Her eyes narrowed in concentration and her bare feet thumped lightly on the floor as she ran. Reaching her target, she drew back and aimed a hard punch at his face. Just as she thought she made contact, he dodged, leaning to the right before jumping out of range. Without losing momentum, she followed. This time she tried to kick his legs out from under him. Hidan easily jumped over her attack, once again landing out of range. Damn, he was quick. But then again, she was just getting started. Dropping to a crouch, she sprang into the air, flipping over his head to land just behind him. Bringing her elbow forward, she tried to plant it in his back. Once again, empty air met her efforts. Letting her body follow the movement, she turned as she attacked, staying as close to him as possible.

A flurry of punches and one roundhouse kick later and she still hadn't managed to even scratch him. Frustration began to set in. After her medic jutsu, taijutsu was her specialty, and he was showing her up like a rank genin. Out of range once again, Hidan began laughing. "I know you are better than that. Hit me already, bitch!" he taunted her.

Sakura's lips set in a hard line of determination as she charged him. At the last second, she swerved and began running a wide circle around him. Maybe she would have more luck if he didn't know when an attack came. As she ran, she gathered chakra into her fist. When she approached his left side, she turned in, and aimed her punch at his ribs. This time he blocked it with his arm. The force of her blow pushed him back, but he managed to stay on his feet. Encouraged, Sakura followed through, delivering a swift kick to his torso.

He didn't try to dodge, but took the blow purposely. As soon as her foot made contact with his stomach, he grabbed it. She was already aiming another punch at his head when he used her captured leg to knock her off balance. With a squeak, she landed on her back. Using the momentum of her fall, she rolled backwards, pulling her foot out of his grasp. Regaining her feet, she did a backflip out of his range. She was suddenly on the defensive. As she landed, she was surprised to see that Hidan was no longer in front of her. Glancing around, she tried to find him. He was gone. It was almost like he had just disappeared.

Stilling, she tried to detect his chakra. The only one she could feel was her own. Either he was masking it, or she couldn't feel it because it was the same as hers. Closing her eyes, she listened closely. Even the merest whisper of sound would give his location away. She waited for several long moments, but could hear nothing. Suddenly, she felt warm air tickle her neck. Her eyes snapped open and she whirled around to find herself staring into amused violet eyes. She smiled at him an instant before slamming a chakra laced fist into his face. He flew backwards, landing on his back several yards away.

Not bothering to get up, Hidan laced his fingers behind his head and lay there. He was enjoying himself immensely. He loved watching her fluid body as she danced around him, trying her best to land a blow. Her pale hair framed her flashing jade eyes perfectly, and when she had closed them to try and find him, he couldn't resist teasing her a little. Not only was Sakura beautiful, she was quick and determined too. And even though he taunted and surprised her, she didn't lose her head in the fight. Now she approached him cautiously.

When her face came into view, Hidan grinned at her. "Nice one. You totally fucking got me."

A smirk crossed Sakura's face. "Are you finished already? I thought S-class shinobi had more stamina than this."

Hidan's grin turned wicked. "Almost. I have just one more thing I want to do."

Before she could react, Hidan rolled towards her, grabbing her legs and pulling them out from under her. She cried out as she fell, and landed on her back. Sakura tried to sit up, but was stopped by a weight settling on her stomach. Once again, Hidan had straddled her, pinning her down. She struggled, trying to shake him off of her, but his larger frame and heavier weight defeated her. She glared up at him. He stared down at her, a look she had never seen before glinting in his eyes. He leaned over her, his face hovering inches from her own.

Long moments passed between them. Hidan stared deep into her eyes, his gaze piercing her to her very soul. Sakura's face went from angry to stunned when she realized what he was doing. He wanted her. She could see it clearly in the intensity of his amethyst orbs. A light blush crossed her cheeks and her lips parted slightly to accommodate her still rapid breathing. This caught his attention, and he broke away from her eyes to stare at her mouth.

"Fucking beautiful." he whispered before closing the distance between them and capturing her lips.

Sakura froze an instant before her body melted under his touch. Her muscles relaxed completely and her heart started pounding as desire raced through her body to light a fire in her stomach. His lips were soft, and he was kissing her gently, almost timidly, waiting on her to respond. Lost in the moment and the feelings sweeping through her, she kissed him back eagerly. With her consent, his kiss became more demanding. He released her hands to cup the back of her neck with one hand, while supporting his weight with the other. Pulling her lower lip into his mouth, Hidan bit down gently, making her gasp.

Taking advantage of the sharp intake of breath, he slipped inside her mouth. Twining his agile tongue around hers, he easily won dominance. Sakura gripped his forearms and opened up for him, letting him explore at will. Each stroke sent desire through her body until she softly moaned in his mouth. Damn, he had a talented tongue. He pulled back a second later to catch his breath. Hidan grinned down at her, victory written all over his face. Sakura just smirked at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. That was when he felt the tingle of chakra against his bare arms. Glancing down, his eyes widened in surprise. Oh, fuck.

With a great heave, Hidan was sent sailing sideways across the room. Landing hard on his side, he rolled, regaining his feet as he came to a halt. Sakura was already up and rushing him, chakra still glowing from both fists. When she was halfway to him, she leapt into the air, twisting and landing on the ceiling. She never slowed her pace, her expert control keeping her upside down as she ran. When she was in range, she let herself fall, turning in midair. Hidan raised his arms defensively as she came crashing down on him. He managed to block her feet, but couldn't avoid her fists as she flipped to the floor and punched him in the stomach. He found himself flying backwards once more, coming to a stop when his back met the wall with a loud thud.

When the world finally stopped moving, Sakura stood over him, foot planted against his neck. Panting slightly, she smiled triumphantly at him, making him laugh. "Not too bad. I'll have to get fucking serious next time." he said. His expression turned pained. "I guess we can go get your shit now."

Releasing him, Sakura's smile turned sincere. "Thank you, Hidan-san. I appreciate it." She turned and headed out of the training room to shower and change. She needed some space to think. Her head was still reeling from Hidan's kiss. She almost couldn't believe it had happened. They were supposed to be enemies. He wasn't supposed to like her, and she wasn't supposed to enjoy his attentions. Had she finally completely lost her mind?

Hidan stood and followed her out. The way she had just smiled at him made him want to see it all the time. And that thought made him very uncomfortable. Catching up to her, he glared. "But you better not spend all my money! I didn't get back pay for the time I spend in that damned hole. Pein, that fucking prick, he's almost as stingy as Kakuzu. And I don't want to be out all day either!" he complained. She just shook her head at the tirade and kept walking.

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Sakura peeked out from underneath her umbrella at the window they had stopped in front of. Leaning forward, she perused each title of the books displayed there. She had already gotten everything she needed, and now she was stalling for time. It wasn't that she didn't want to go back, she was just afraid of what would happen once she got there. Her mind kept going back to what happened in the training room. He had kissed her again, and this time, it was far from chaste. And she had enjoyed it entirely too much. She glanced over at Hidan, who did his best to look supremely bored. Once they were alone tonight, would he pursue her further? Most likely. And was she willing to go that far? She doubted it. It was too much, too fast. And it would complicate things exponentially. A relationship with Hidan would be a direct betrayal to Konoha. There would be no extenuating circumstances to excuse her. She would be turning her back on her village, and that thought scared her.

"If you're not gonna get anything, let's go. I'm getting soaked as hell over here!" Hidan complained.

Giving him an apologetic smile, Sakura rearranged her grip on her bags and started off down the street. She walked slowly, but before she knew it, the front doors of the Akatsuki's building were before her. Hidan stepped forward and unsealed it. Stepping inside, Sakura put her umbrella up. She was just about to start down the hallway when a chakra signature caught her attention. No, it couldn't be. It just wasn't possible. Dropping her bags, she ran down the short hallway to the common room. She froze. There, sitting on the couch with his arm slung over the shoulders of a thin redhead was the last person she ever expected to see again. He turned his head to look her way, his dark eyes as brooding and piercing as she remembered.

"...Sasuke."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Midnight eyes met verdant ones. Sasuke looked shocked for only an instant before returning to his impassive face. But as he stared at her, his dark orbs hardened until they glinted like obsidian. When he spoke, his voice was deep and low, resonating with a barely leashed fury that made Sakura swallow hard.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?"

"Sasuke-kun, I...What...How did you get here?" she stumbled over her words as her mind jumbled and a million emotions raced through her at once. Why was he so angry with her? Did he think she was trying to bring him back to the village again? She had no idea he was even affiliated with Akatsuki, let alone foolish enough to try and retrieve him from the most dangerous ninja in the world. A few years ago, that would definitely have been the case. But as time passed, she found her hope for his return dwindling. Naruto, on the other hand, had never given up. She had watched her friend drive himself to be a better ninja with a will that bordered on the insane. And until the day he left for sage training, he tried nearly everyday to convince the Hokage to send him out to retrieve the Uchiha.

Her eyes roamed over the face of her former teammate, friend and old crush. He had lost most of the boyish roundness over the last few years, his face thinner and more angular than she remembered. His hair remained the same, spiky in the back, with longer sections hanging over his ears. His eyes looked tired, and she could guess that he had been using the Sharingan too much. She and Tsunade had to work hard to keep Kakashi's left eye from going completely blind, and she figured that by now, Sasuke was beginning to feel the devastating consequences of his dojutsu as well.

His frown deepened. "Not going to answer my question? I see you're as annoying as ever."

Sakura's face heated and she opened her mouth to answer, but was cut short by a voice coming from behind her. "It's none of your fucking business why she's here."

Breaking his gaze, Sasuke glanced at the newcomer. Taking in his cloak and appearance, he gave him a dismissing look and turned back to Sakura. "Who is this?" he asked, his voice only slightly less menacing than before.

"Hidan." he took the liberty of answering for her. "And you must be the Uchiha brat, Itachi's brother. You look a lot like him. So, tell me, have you come to play Akatsuki and follow in your brother's footsteps?"

"That is none of your concern." Sasuke answered coldly.

Sakura swore the temperature dropped several degrees in the room as the two shinobi sized each other up. Glancing over her shoulder, she took in Hidan's face. His eyes were hard and his lips were set in a firm line. Sasuke wore a similar expression. She had a feeling that things could quickly get very ugly between the two. The Uchiha's pride was his weakness, and Hidan would be the one to insult him one time too many and still not care. Gathering her courage, she turned back to Sasuke and asked the one question that had been plaguing her for the last five years.

"Why, Sasuke?" Sakura said, regaining the attention of the Uchiha.

"Why what, Sakura? Don't talk in riddles." Sasuke said, more annoyed than ever.

Sakura's voice rose in pitch and strength as she spoke. " You got what you wanted. You defeated your brother and avenged your clan. You knew that Naruto and I were still waiting for you. Why then, didn't you come back home?"

Anger broke Sasuke's indifferent mask. "Because, that pathetic village full of backstabbing shinobi is _not_ my home. Konoha is dead to me." He raked an icy glare over Sakura before turning back around and ignoring them completely. She could only gape at him, stunned by the vehemence in his voice. The redhead he was sitting with continued to watch them, a hint of jealousy shining in her eyes as her gaze passed over the pink haired kunoichi.

Sakura continued to stare blankly at the back of Sasuke's head. So, that's how it was going to be. After all this time, after everything she and Naruto sacrificed to get him back, he still didn't want anything to do with them. When she had learned that he had finally defeated his brother, she had been so sure that he would return to Konoha. It seemed that she was wrong. Anger and sadness raged through her head. She wanted to yell at him for being so pigheaded. She wanted to grab him up and punch him out, drag him back to the village and throw him down at Naruto's feet. Maybe then he would listen to the friends that had always been on his side. But once again, she was wishing for the impossible.

Clenching her trembling fingers into fists, Sakura said nothing more, and turning, left the room. Looking back, she saw Sasuke glance over his shoulder, watching her retreat. She lifted her chin, determined to keep him from seeing her upset again. She would _not_ cry in front of him. Hidan followed after her, her forgotten shopping bags in his hands. He had a small frown on his face and his eyes were still as hard as stone. He didn't like the way that kid had looked at Sakura, as if she were some irritating insect that needed to see the underside of a shoe. If he ever caught the little bastard alone, he would be more than happy to show him who was the real bug.

Reaching their room, Sakura pushed open the door. She said nothing, just sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. Hidan could tell that she was upset. Unsure of what to do, he set her things on the dresser and moved to his side of the bed. Deciding to give her a little mental space, he took his sandals off and stretched out on the bed. Closing his eyes, he tried to meditate. He had barely been still for five minutes when a sniffle caught his attention. Opening his eyes, he turned to see that Sakura was still sitting where she was, with her back turned toward him. Her shoulders were shaking and he knew that she was crying.

Sitting up, Hidan reclined against the headboard of the bed. When she felt him move, Sakura quickly wiped at her face, trying to hide the tears that still fell down her cheeks. She started to get up and go to the bathroom, when he grabbed her arm, keeping her on the bed. Turning her head, she looked at him. His face looked stern, but his eyes were soft and held the sadness that she was seeing more and more in him. "C'mon, Sakura. I know that little shit isn't worth all this. What the hell is he to you anyway?"

Sakura's tears stopped and she dropped her puffy eyed gaze to the mattress. Should she tell him? Hell, why not. At this point, Hidan was more of a friend to her than Sasuke anyway. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she began to speak. "Sasuke, Naruto and I had been a team since we graduated from the academy. We grew close, a strange sort of family made of friends. Both Sasuke and Naruto are orphans, so the team was all they had. We were together almost constantly until after the chunnin exams. That was when he left us. He wanted to become stronger, so he could take revenge on his brother for killing their clan. We tried several times to get him to come back, but each time he refused."

Hidan's grip on her arm tightened slightly. Lifting her eyes, she met his gaze. "Sakura, stop spouting that textbook bullshit. It was more than that, wasn't it?" he asked firmly.

"Yes." she replied softly, "But no matter what I did, he never felt the same way about me." Hidan released her as a stab of jealousy ran through him. So she had loved him.

Sakura's eyes started to well up again as memories of the night Sasuke left Konoha surfaced. She had told him she loved him, she had even offered to go with him, and still, it wasn't enough. Now, nothing would ever be enough. He wasn't coming back. _'Konoha is dead to me.'_ The words still echoed in her head, cutting her soul to the bone. She had been such a fool. Clenching her fists as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her, Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I need to break something. Now."

Hidan watched as fiery determination lit up her eyes. Her face looked so alive in her hurt anger, it made him want to kiss her breathless. To hold her until she completely forgot about that prick of an Uchiha. Instead, he just grinned at her. "Hell, yeah! Now you're talking. Let's go out to the training grounds. You can smash as much shit as you want to up there." he said.

Nodding, Sakura stood and waited while Hidan put his sandals and cloak on and grabbed his scythe. Digging through her bags, she found the pair of leather gloves she bought and tugged them on. Hidan started out of the room, then stopped at the last minute. Reaching into a pouch on top of his dresser, he picked up a kunai and tossed it to her. She tucked it into the waistband of her shorts, the cool metal sending a tingle across her skin. They walked silently down the hallway, Sakura just ahead of Hidan. A crash sounded as they started past the kitchen and the wall suddenly disintegrated in front of them.

Sakura came to a quick stop just as plaster and debris sprayed all over the hallway. At the epicenter of this mess was a shinobi they had never seen before. He was short, with a mop of white hair, purple eyes and pointed teeth that gave his boyish features a feral expression. After regaining his bearings, he turned and grinned at Sakura before standing and dusting himself off. He started to walk into the kitchen again, but was stopped by the sound of Kisame's irritated voice coming through the hole in the wall.

"I said not now, kid. I'm busy."

Hidan watched the shinobi shrug and head down the hallway towards the common room. Crossing his arms, he walked over to the kitchen doorway. "Hey Kisame, watch where the fuck you throw your garbage! You almost hit Sakura!" he yelled at the shark ninja.

Kisame soon appeared in the doorway. He looked over at Sakura, then at the mess in the hallway. Smirking, he bowed low. "Gomen, Sakura-san. I hope I didn't scare you with that piece of trash."

A small smile found Sakura's lips at his dramatics. Pointing towards the common room, she gave Kisame a questioning look. "What was that all about anyway?"

"Oh, that's Suigetsu. Every time that little punk shows his face here, he challenges me to a fight for my Samehada. I'd hate to kill another talented swordsman, but I'm beginning to think he can't take a hint." Glancing at Hidan's scythe, he lifted an eyebrow. "Are you two going somewhere? It's already getting dark and dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Hidan started to answer, but was interrupted by the appearance of Konan in the hallway. She walked by the three shinobi, glanced at the mess in the floor, then at Kisame. Folding her arms over her chest, she glared at him. "You're going to fix that." she said sternly. Without waiting for an answer, she continued on her way, heading up the stairs to Pein's office.

"We're going to the training grounds for an evening workout." Sakura answered after Konan was out of sight. Suddenly, an idea came to her. "Why don't you and Kisho join us? We could have a free for all, last one standing wins." The way she was feeling right now, she could take on the entire Akatsuki without blinking.

Kisame grinned, displaying twin rows of sharp white teeth. "Sounds great. I'll grab my partner and we'll meet you there."

A half hour later, the four shinobi stood in the center of the training grounds. It sat on the ridge overlooking the valley and the village nestled within it. The rain had died down to a light drizzle and the ground here was soft, but well drained. Enclosed lanterns strung around the outer edge of the clearing provided enough light to see by. Beyond that, the trees encased them in complete darkness. Sakura shivered as it suddenly reminded her of Jashin's garden. Pushing the thought out of her head, she concentrated on the battle ahead. They had agreed to fight as partners first, then whoever was left would fight each other. At Sakura's signal they began.

Kisho stood confidently opposite of the medic nin. Now would be a perfect time to test how well his training was going. Kisame was a relentless teacher, using every spare moment to hone his skills. Closing his eyes, he concentrated his chakra and began his first jutsu. Performing the necessary hand seals, he held out his hand, letting his chakra gather in the center. The ground was spongy, and it vibrated lightly as the rocks beneath it were drawn by his jutsu. When a sizable amount had gathered around him, he lay his palm on the closest rock and let his chakra flow into it. His golden eyes glowed softly as he worked, and soon the rocks began to meld together and take on the form of lions.

"Stone Lions Summon!" he called out as his technique finished.

Sakura watched the jutsu that Kisho was completing with interest. There weren't very many shinobi in the Leaf Village that used constructs, so this was something relatively new for her. The detail in the stone cats was impressive and they seemed to have a full range of motion. When Kisho dropped his hand, three of them stood at his side, staring ahead with blank eyes. They were large, their heads breaking even with the redhead's. Sakura heard a shout and glanced over to see Kisame and Hidan already deep in a round of taijutsu. She glanced back to her opponent just in time to catch one of the lions beginning its charge. She smirked. If he thought she would be taken so easily, he was dead wrong.

"Not so fast!" she cried out. Gathering chakra in her fist, she slammed it into the ground. The earth rumbled and a great crack appeared, tearing chunks out of the turf as it split open. Debris flew into the air and the lion was lost from sight. Sakura straightened just in time to see it reappear, jumping from rock to rock, and coming at her fast. Letting chakra gather into her fist again, she waited for it to close in on her. When it was within range, the great cat leaped high into the air, and came down on her with its massive jaws open. Drawing back, Sakura slammed her fist into the lion's face. She poured all her anger and frustration into the blow. A satisfying crack was heard and the lion crumpled and fell into pieces at her feet.

Kisho's eyes widened at the destructive power of the kunoichi before him. Who knew all that strength was hiding in such a small, slender body? Well, he would just have to try harder. He sent another lion after her, leaving one for defense. If she managed to hit him with one of those fists at close range, he would be finished. He was a distance fighter and, even though Kisame was working on it, hand to hand combat was his weakness. Then again, if he could manage to get a grip on her, he could drain her chakra. But by the time he managed that, she would probably have him beat to a pulp.

Sakura let loose with a chakra enhanced roundhouse kick and the second lion was sent sailing, rocks crumbling off of it as it went. It hit the ground with a dull thud and split into pieces. Sakura smiled, her bad mood lifting as she worked off her emotions. This was actually kind of fun. It was too bad that Kisho had a limited amount of chakra. She could do this all day and not get tired of it. Dropping to a defensive crouch, she waited for him to send the last lion. Moments passed and no one made a move. Deciding to take the initiative, Sakura charged, kunai drawn. Kisho dropped back slightly, crimson and black hair falling into his face. His golden eyes glowed from between the locks, making him look as wild as the cats he created. Beside him, the stone lion opened its mouth in a silent roar and jumped in front, blocking Sakura's path.

For several long moments, nothing happened. Kisho glanced around the construct to see that Sakura had disappeared. Just vanished completely. He was suddenly on alert, trying to find any trace of her. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late. She reappeared behind him, kunai in her hand. He whirled around and grabbed her arm before the weapon could reach his neck. Immediately, he began to drain her chakra. Sakura gasped as she felt her energy being pulled from her. Panic hit her as memories of the resurrection jutsu swept through her mind. Reacting defensively, she pulled her leg back and kicked him squarely in the torso.

Kisho went flying back and crashed into his lion. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him and he fell to the ground, gasping for air. Sakura fell to her knees as well, weak from lack of chakra and fear. Staring at the ground, she forced her mind to calm down and her breathing to return to normal. By the time she had a hold on herself, Kisho had already regained his feet and was walking over to her. Flopping down, he sat beside her and crossed his arms over his chest. The remaining lion lay down behind him and he rested against it. "Well, I guess this means we're both out." he said, his quiet voice rumbling slightly.

"Yeah. That was really fun. Those lions are something else. How do you do it?" Sakura asked.

"They're not hard to make. I just draw rocks to me with a jutsu, then push my chakra into it and mold them into shape. Since they are infused with my chakra, I can control their movements as if they were part of me." he explained. His look turned brooding. "But evidently they need more work. They didn't last long attacking you. And neither did I."

Sakura felt her cheeks redden. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was a little angry."

Their gazes locked and Sakura watched his face soften. "Just remind me to never piss you off." he teased. "How did you get behind me so quickly?"

"A tunneling jutsu my sensei taught me."

Sakura sobered as thoughts of Kakashi and Naruto swam in her head. A part of her said that she should be in Konoha, training with them. But another part of her was glad that she was with Hidan, Kisame and Kisho. She stared at the shinobi beside her as unbidden questions swirled around her brain. If Konoha found her right now, if they tried to take her back, would she want to go? Would she care if Kisho was killed trying to keep her here? Or Kisame? Or Hidan? She told herself that answer was supposed to be no, but she knew she was lying to herself. And that was when she knew that it had happened. The lines between friend and enemy were blurred.

Confusion raged in her mind as she tried to sort out the truth. Is this how Sasuke felt when they tried to take him back to Konoha the second time? Did he refuse to go because he had made new friends and didn't want to abandon them? Or did he truly not care about them anymore? From the way he had talked to her, she was sure it was the latter. No matter how much she wished it otherwise. Kisho was giving her a questioning look, and she pushed it all to the back of her mind. She would have to figure it out later, when she could be alone and think.

Sakura gave him a reassuring smile and they silently turned their attention to the fight between Kisame and Hidan. Both were sporting several large cuts and breathing heavily. However, neither one seemed the least bit bothered and continued fighting as if they were perfectly fine. Hidan had just dodged a blow from Samehada, and threw his scythe as he landed, which was easily blocked with the great sword. Sakura watched in awe as the two shinobi displayed their elite skills. Kisame handled his large blade with expertise, easily switching from offense to defense with the flick of a wrist. Hidan managed to dodge nearly every blow. He seemed to have the dexterity of a cat. His attacks were a little slow, but with him being immortal and extremely flexible, he had the time to complete his strategies without risking injury. No wonder it had taken nearly two teams to defeat him and Kakuzu.

Stopping to catch his breath, Kisame glanced over to see Kisho and Sakura sitting on the ground together. Their side of the clearing was a mess, with rocks and debris scattered everywhere. There didn't seem to be a clear winner and both of them looked a little banged up. Laughing, he turned to Hidan, who was also catching his breath. "Well, now that the kiddies are done playing, it's time to get serious."

Thrusting Samehada into the ground and forming hand seals, Kisame opened his mouth and let water stream out. When he had a sizable pool at his feet, he wove more seals and crouched down, resting his hand on the surface of the water. "Suiton: Suikoudan no Jutsu!" he cried. A jet of water shot up from the pool, rising above the heads of both shinobi. When it reached its height, it raced forward, the head of a shark forming at the water's crest. Hidan could only watch as the water crashed down on him. He raised his arms defensively, but the force of the attack drove him to his knees. When the jutsu dispelled, he looked up to see Kisame standing over him, smirking.

"Last man standing. I guess this means I win." he said, offering his hand to help Hidan up.

Hidan took it and stood. Folding his arms across his chest he glared at the shark ninja. "Only because I'm so slow with regular attacks. Seriously, if I was allowed to go all out, you're fishy ass would already be before Jashin!"

"Hn." Kisame grunted in reply. Pulling Samehada from the ground and strapping it to his back, he walked over to where Sakura and Kisho were starting to stand up. "Let's get back to the base. I'm starving after that little exercise." he said to his partner.

Nodding, Kisho dispelled his stone lion and followed the Mist nin through the woods. Sakura watched the creature melt into the ground as if it had never been. Turning, she saw that Hidan was approaching her. His wounds were still bleeding and he walked with a slight limp. Closing the distance between them, she gathered chakra in her hand and started to heal the largest one on his chest. Hidan grabbed her hand and pulled it away. "Leave them." he said firmly.

Sakura started to protest, but since he didn't seem to really be hurting, she just nodded and dropped her hand. It was probably some crazy sort of religious taboo for him to avoid pain or be healed. Or he might be just plain nuts. Or both. Sakura lifted her head and found him staring down at her, that look of want in his eyes again. How he could think of her like that now was beyond her. She was wet, muddy and sweaty. Not very attractive at all. Yep, he was nuts. He lifted his hand and wiped away the moisture that had collected on her cheek from the sprinkling rain. Then, for the second time that day, he kissed her.

This time she welcomed him, needing the contact to wash away the pain of Sasuke's rejection and her own confusion. Wrapping her arms around his torso, she accidentally bumped one of the wounds on his back. He hissed in pain, but instead of drawing back, he pulled her flush against him, deepening his kiss. She tried to pull away, not wanting to hurt him. A growl rumbled in his throat and he tightened his grip on her. His tongue swept across her lips and she opened her mouth, granting him access. He thrust inside, tangling with her tongue before sucking it into his mouth. A moan escaped her lips as he pulled back, breaking the kiss and staring down at her.

"Feel better?" he asked. Sakura nodded. "Good. Now let's get out of this Jashin damned rain. I'm getting soaked here."

Turning, Hidan headed towards the woods that would lead them to the village. Sakura followed quietly behind him, deep in thought. On the opposite side of the clearing, three sets of eyes watched their progress as they left. Stepping away from the tree he was camouflaged against, Zetsu turned to look at Pein and Konan.

"_They seem to be adapting quickly._ **Of course, we shouldn't trust them just yet.**" he said.

"Yes. I think we will be able to complete the task on time. Did Madara get the eight-tailed beast sealed?" Pein asked.

Zetsu laughed, the sound of it making Konan shiver slightly. "_No._ ** Sasuke's team managed to bring us a decoy. The eight tails is still loose somewhere.**"

"I see. Since Team Hawk couldn't complete their mission, maybe we should send Kisame and Hidan's teams to retrieve it."

"_That might be a good idea. We could do it when you go to retrieve the nine tails. _ **That way the kunoichi won't be able to interfere in the capture of Uzumaki.**"

"I'll ask Madara about it when he gets back." Pein said. "Was your mission to Konoha successful?"

Zetsu's mandibles pulled a little closer around him and Pein could almost swear that he looked uncomfortable. "**Yes.** _We had to leave the kunoichi at a Leaf ANBU station, but she was taken to the village immediately._"

"Good. Our side of the bargain is complete. That news will help strengthen Sakura's bond with us. And now that Sasuke is back and her relationship with Hidan is improving, I have a feeling that she won't be going anywhere." Pein said before slipping back into the darkness, Konan at his side.

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Tsunade sat at her desk, sake bottle in hand. She was staring out the open window, into the moonless night. Only the merest whisper of sound alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone. "Well, Kakashi, how did the mission go? I assume it was a failure, since Sakura isn't with you."

Kakashi poked his head around the corner of the windowsill before coming to sit on its edge, legs dangling into nothingness. The serious look on his face told her just how hard he was taking the loss of his former student. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. Even with Pakkun and the other ninkin dogs, I could find no trace of her." he responded quietly.

Tsunade frowned. "It's been over a week now. Whatever the Akatsuki had planned for her has probably already taken place. This is a blow Konoha can barely afford. Sakura is one of our most talented ninja. Without her help, the hospital will have a hard time coping if something happens."

"What do you want to do now?"

"There isn't much we can do. Just wait until the Akatsuki make their next move and pray we are prepared for it. Shizune!" she yelled for her assistant.

Shizune appeared in the office a moment later. "Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Recall the search teams. We need every available ninja in the village. Make sure the hospital is well staffed at all times. And restrict training to inside the village only. We can't afford for anyone else to disappear."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Shizune bowed and left quickly to carry out her orders.

Kakashi frowned and looked at her. "Do you think the Akatsuki will attack us?"

"I don't know. But I have this feeling that things are about to take a turn for the worst. We need to be ready if they come after Naruto again. See to it that the other team leaders are aware of our situation."

Inclining his head, Kakashi dropped from the window into the darkness below. Tsunade took another long drink from her bottle and set it on the desk. Lacing her hands together, she said a quick prayer for the safety of her favorite apprentice before standing and heading to her apartment to get some rest.

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Sakura stepped out of the shower and stretched. Her muscles were already starting to stiffen up. She had done a lot today, and after nearly a week of inactivity, it was beginning to show. Grabbing her towel, she dried off quickly and slipped into her new pajamas. A little more comfortable than her green silk ones, these were comprised of a pair of black sleep pants with a matching camisole. Silver lilies decorated the front of the top. Slipping out of the bathroom, she padded across the bedroom quietly. Hidan was already asleep on the bed, snoring softly. Demon was curled up on the pillow beside him.

Coming to a halt, Sakura studied the man that seemed to be becoming a bigger and bigger part of her life. His face was serene as he slept, his mouth hanging slightly open. He almost looked vulnerable, and she found the sight rather endearing. The sheet had slipped down his chest, and she let her eyes wander over the hard planes of his torso. His wounds had closed nicely on their own and were healing up at a rapid rate. She let her gaze wander lower. She had seen how well put together he was when she revived him, and she absently wondered if the rest of him was as talented as his mouth was. Blushing at her traitorous thoughts, she shook them aside and slipped into bed.

She had no more than pulled the sheet up when Hidan rolled towards her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his chest. He was still asleep, so Sakura didn't resist him. Allowing him to hold her, she closed her eyes and let herself relax into the warmth of his body. This feeling was nice, having someone there at the end of the day that made you feel better. Her tired mind started to drift, and she snuggled closer. His deep even breaths wafted across her neck and she sighed peacefully before letting herself slip into the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sakura opened the bedroom door halfway and poked her head out. Glancing around, she was happy to see the hallway deserted. Withdrawing back into the room, she turned and looked at the bed. Hidan was still fast asleep. With a smile on her lips, she left the bedroom and headed toward the kitchen. This small measure of freedom was refreshing, and she was quick to take advantage. Walking slowly, she let her eyes wander over the closed doors as she passed by. She counted ten in all. Quite a few rooms for the few members that currently resided here. At that wasn't counting Pein and Konan's private domain upstairs. When she reached her destination, she was surprised to find an already completed patch where the wall had been destroyed. Kisame must have stayed up half the night getting it done.

Her stomach reminding her of why she had ventured out in the first place, Sakura walked into the kitchen. She was disappointed to find that her moment of solitude was at an end. Three people sat at the table, already finishing up their meal. The redheaded kunoichi was there, along with the shinobi that Kisame had slammed through the wall yesterday. A third ninja sat with them, one she had never seen before. He was quite tall, with a round, almost boyish face and a head of short, spiky hair. His expression looked calm and quiet, but his eyes gave her the impression that there was a restlessness brewing underneath his unassuming exterior.

They turned their heads to look at her as she entered, and the redhead glared at her. The one Kisame had called Suigetsu grinned and waved her over. "Hey, it's Sakura, right?"

Nodding, Sakura walked over to stand beside the table. "Yeah. And you're Suigetsu?"

"Yep. Let me introduce you to the rest of Team Hawk. This is Karin." he said, pointing to the redhead. She adjusted her glasses and nodded, but her sour look never wavered. Sakura attempted a smile, but she was sure it looked quite forced. The woman obviously had a problem with her, and she had a feeling it had something to do with her knowing Sasuke.

"And this is Jugo." he continued, pointing to the tall ninja across from him.

"Hello." Sakura greeted him.

"Hello, Sakura-san." he replied politely.

After the introductions, Sakura grabbed a bowl of fruit from the fridge and sat across from Karin. Tension was rolling off the redhead in waves, but the other two either didn't notice, or were ignoring her. Jugo ate in silence, a look of deep concentration on his face. Suigetsu seemed to be the friendliest of the trio, and it wasn't long before he had struck up a conversation with her. They started off talking about the various places they had been to, but it soon escalated into Suigetsu telling her stories about the missions the team had been on over the last five years. Karin kept throwing him disapproving looks every time he mentioned her or Sasuke's name, and Jugo listened quietly, adding an occasional comment to Suigetsu's stories.

While they were talking, Sasuke walked in. He took in the scene at the table with his usual indifference. Sakura paused mid-sentence and looked at him. Her fingers gripped her shorts tightly as he met her eyes. She was still upset over what he said yesterday, and it was hard for her to keep it from showing. But she was determined to not let her weakness get the better of her. So she plastered on her biggest smile and greeted him.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke didn't reply, instead he looked at the rest of his team. "We're leaving today." he told them. "I found the location of another laboratory and we need to go check it out. You have one hour to get ready." With that, he turned and left the room.

Jugo and Suigetsu stood and bid her goodbye, then left the kitchen as well. Karin sat where she was, staring at Sakura.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Karin. The woman's attitude was really beginning to get on her nerves. "What?" she asked, unable to keep the irritation from her voice.

"Sasuke told me that you were in love with him. Is this still true?" she asked forcefully.

Sakura dropped her gaze to the table. She certainly got straight to the point when she wanted to know something. Did she still love Sasuke? It was obvious he didn't care for her at all. Nothing had really changed there, though. Back when they were teammates, he had constantly rejected her. She had loved him anyway. But if she was completely honest with herself, her crush on him had burned out long ago. She still cared about what happened to him, but she couldn't see herself in a serious relationship with him anymore. Lifting her head, she looked the other kunoichi in the eyes. "I do still care about Sasuke. I'm his friend."

"I want you to stay away from him." Karin ordered in a clipped voice.

"I'm pretty sure Sasuke is old enough to decide who he does and doesn't want in his life." Sakura replied saucily. Inwardly, she shook her head. Talk about insecure.

"That's true, but I won't tolerate any interference in his plans. Got it?" Karin said, narrowing her eyes.

Sakura was about to open her mouth and ask her who died and made her god when Hidan wandered into the room. He looked between the two women before walking over to the fridge and pulling the door open. Demon trotted along behind him, tail twitching. While he rummaged, his voice carried back to the table. "Sakura, if that bitch is bothering you, just kick her ass."

"Who the hell are you calling a bitch!" Karin yelled at him, going from irritated to angry in the blink of an eye.

"You, bitch." he answered without bothering to look up.

"Stop calling me that! And there's no way this soft hearted Leaf nin could ever kick my ass. I was trained by Orochimaru-sama himself!"

Finally looking over at her, Hidan grinned and started laughing. "Bitch, she could kick your ass sideways in her sleep. And if you'll remember, both Orochimaru and Sasuke were Leaf ninja at one point in time."

That shut her up. Karin gave him a hard glare before crossing her arms over her chest and looking the other way. Sakura had to repress a smile. As tempting as the idea was, she knew she wasn't really in a position to start throwing her weight around. It would make Sasuke mad and then he would be driven even further from her. And if Pein or Madara caught wind of it, they might punish both her and Hidan for being disruptive. Shaking her head, she looked at Karin. "That's okay, Hidan-san. We were just coming to an understanding."

Standing, Karin gave her another glare before walking out of the room. Hidan tossed some leftover shrimp to the kitten before coming to sit down in the chair that Suigetsu had abandoned, breakfast in hand. "What was that about?" he asked.

Sakura shrugged and popped her last piece of fruit in her mouth. She chewed slowly, watching Hidan as he began to eat. After a few minutes, he noticed her staring at him and grinned. Blushing lightly, she looked away. Warmth spread through her stomach as memories of him kissing her popped into her head. Before she realized it, she was smiling too. The way he had touched her, it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She was no novice when it came to relationships, but after Sasuke, she never let anyone get that close to her heart again. It was just too painful. But Hidan had managed to force his way in, and with one kiss had turned her world upside down. And it wasn't just their physical chemistry. He made her feel appreciated for who she was. He defended her when she needed it, but at the same time respected her strength. And even though he had plenty of opportunities, he never once tried to take advantage of her. She looked back over at him and their gazes locked. Her smile faded and she sucked in her breath as the truth hit her hard. Oh, Kami, she definitely wasn't in love with Sasuke anymore.

Her brain did a mental halt at this revelation. This was supposed to be wrong on so many levels. First, she was still technically a hostage. Was she simply suffering from a case of Stockholme Syndrome? And even if it were, were her feelings even real, or a result of their bond? Dropping her eyes, she stared at the table. If she were able to forget all that and accepted a relationship with Hidan, what about Konoha? If she somehow managed to find herself back in the village, there would be no excusing her actions. It would be a blatant betrayal. But then again, she'd done that already when she helped Pein to bring him back.

Shoving all her doubts aside to clear her head, she asked herself the only question that actually mattered. What did she want? That one she already had an answer for. She wanted to be with Hidan. She was in love with him, and unlike Sasuke, he seemed to return her feelings. Madara and Jashin might have manipulated the circumstances, but her mind was still her own. She released a heavy sigh. This was going to be complicated. Their differing loyalties and ideals were bound to have an impact on their relationship. But then again, when wasn't her life complicated? As long as they believed in each other, they would find a way through it.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Hidan asked. She looked troubled by her thoughts, her frown getting deeper by the second. Then she stood and walked over to him.

"Thank you." she whispered softly before leaning down and capturing his lips in a searing kiss. He just sat there in shock. It was the first time she had ever initiated any affection towards him. Not wasting the moment, he kissed her back eagerly. He could still taste the juice from the fruit she was eating on her lips. The sweetness was intoxicating, and he devoured her mouth. All too soon she broke away and headed for the door, leaving him feeling quite confused and wanting more.

"Thanks for what?" he called after her. She just turned and smiled at him before disappearing around the corner.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Several hours later, Sakura and Hidan were relaxing in the common room. She could finally read her book without distraction, and she was deep into a chapter on how overuse of chakra affected the nervous system. Well, without much distraction. Hidan was playing pool with Kisame, and whenever she glanced up at him, she was rewarded with a nice view of either the immortal's bare back or torso. Sensing her eyes on him, he would glance sideways at her, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. Suppressing a grin and a blush, she returned to her book. She had just turned to the next page when Zetsu appeared in the doorway. He was frowning, a look of worry on his face. He walked over to where she was sitting on the couch.

"_Sakura-san, we need your help. _ **Sasuke's team is on their way back right now, and they are in trouble.**"

Setting her book aside as worry washed over her, Sakura looked up at him. "What kind of trouble?"

"_Two cells of the Raikage's ANBU attacked them. They were nearly defeated._ **Sasuke is severely injured. We need you to heal him as soon as they get here.**" Zetsu answered.

Her brow furrowed. "I thought they were just going to a laboratory. Why did the ANBU attack them?"

The plant ninja looked away and hesitated a moment before answering. "_They were looking for the eight tails._ **Evidently, they think we have him.**"

Standing up, Sakura headed for the doorway. Friend or foe, she couldn't abandon someone in need. "Alright. I'll need to get a room ready. It has to be really clean with plenty of light."

"_I'll help you._ **Follow me.**" Zetsu said as he fell into step beside her.

A half hour later, everything was ready. Sakura and Zetsu had worked quickly, and now stood by the front door, waiting. The minutes ticked by and nothing happened. Sakura was just beginning to think the plant ninja was playing some kind of strange joke on her when she felt the chakra barrier around the door fall. It opened slowly and the members of Team Hawk limped in. Jugo had Sasuke over his shoulder, and Suigetsu had an unconscious Karin in his arms. Their clothes were bloody and torn, and all of them had numerous gashes. Sakura's heart hit her stomach when she saw Sasuke's condition.

He was very pale, and a sheen of sweat covered his skin. His breathing was shallow and labored. He had several deep wounds in his torso, and blood oozed out freely onto Jugo's arm. Steeling herself, Sakura motioned for them to follow her. She led them to the room that she and Zetsu had made ready. Ironically, it was the same room that she had revived Hidan in. Pointing to the table, she looked at Jugo. "Put him there." she commanded.

Jugo did as she asked and stepped back. Without hesitating, Sakura ripped his shirt off and examined the wounds more closely. She didn't see any signs of poisons, but his stomach was a mess. It looked like someone had tried to gut him, and nearly succeeded. Molding her chakra, she sent it into his body to see how deep the damage went. His liver was hit, as well as a section of intestine. If she didn't repair them quickly, he would be poisoned by his own fluids. She set to work at once, without a word to anyone.

Suigetsu laid Karin on a cot, then went to watch the pink haired kunoichi. Her eyes were closed in concentration and her fingertips were glowing a soft green as they hovered over the largest wound on Sasuke. It seemed as if nothing was happening, but then the edges of the wound began knitting together, and the gash closed itself up, leaving only an irritated red line. Sakura opened her eyes, and Suigetsu noticed a few beads of sweat on her forehead. Her breathing was a little rapid, as if she had just been running. She turned and looked at him as she started on the cut over his liver. "Tell me what happened." she said.

"We were overwhelmed. At first we saw only two of them. But every time Sasuke used his Sharingan, another would appear and pull the other ninja out of his genjutsu. According to Karin, they were scattered over a large area, so we couldn't fight them all at once. His chakra was nearly gone by the time the last one appeared. Even with Jugo and I keeping them busy, we were beginning to lose. Lightning attacks aren't good to me, and they seemed to know it. We managed to defeat them, but they were concentrating their attacks on Sasuke, and managed to do this to him before we took the last of them down." he replied.

"What happened to Karin?"

Suigetsu shifted uncomfortably. "At one point I was overpowered and stabbed in the chest. Sasuke insisted that she heal me instead of him. I would have died if she hadn't."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "She's a medic nin?"

"No. She has the ability to heal people by letting them suck on her chakra."

"That's an extraordinary talent." Sakura said.

"Yeah. You should see her arms. They're riddled with bite marks."

"Shut up, Suigetsu." said an angry voice behind them.

Sakura turned to see the redhead sitting up on the cot. She had one hand on her head, rubbing her temple. After a moment, she stood and walked over to Sasuke's side. Sakura returned her attention back to her work. She finally had all the internal damage healed, and when she looked up, he had his eyes open, watching her. She gave him a small smile and finished closing the wound over his liver. Karin grabbed his hand. "Are you all right, Sasuke-kun?" she said.

"I'll be fine. It doesn't hurt much."

Pulling the sleeve up on one arm, Karin offered it to him. Sakura nearly gasped as she saw what Suigetsu had been talking about. Her skin was riddled with teeth marks, most of them bruised and swelled. "Here, let me finish healing you." she said.

"No. Let Sakura do it." he refused, closing his eyes again.

Dropping his hand as a hurt look came over her face, Karin backed up. Sakura could feel the other kunoichi glaring daggers into her back. Ignoring it, she began healing the less serious cuts. If she wanted Sasuke to recover, she would just have to deal with letting her heal him. After an hour passed, Sakura stepped back. She had managed to close all the wounds, and his bleeding had stopped. But her chakra was nearly spent and her head was feeling dizzy. The room started spinning, and before she could grab the table to steady herself, she began to fall. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, keeping her from hitting the floor. She looked up to see Jugo staring down at her, concern on his face.

"Are you all right, Sakura-san?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest now." she replied. Clearing her head, she stood back up. Sasuke was leaning up on his elbows. He started to sit up. "Stop, Sasuke!" she yelled at him. "You aren't healed enough to be moving around yet."

"I'll be fine." he said, but returned to lying on the table.

Sakura wiped the sweat from her face and glared at him. "Yeah, after a couple of days in bed, you will." Turning to Jugo, she pointed back to the Uchiha. "Take him to his room and make sure he stays put. I'm going to go lay down for a while. If his wounds reopen or he starts running a fever, come and get me right away."

Jugo nodded and moved to the side of the table. After a final glance to make sure the other three weren't seriously hurt, she left and wearily made her way to Hidan's bedroom. It was empty, so she slowly took her sandals off and crawled under the covers. Turning her head to the window, she watched the rain slide down the windowpane. There was a slight chill in the room, and she suddenly found herself wishing Hidan was with her to keep her warm. But she didn't feel the emptiness that had been bothering her lately. Strange. Maybe the effects of the jutsu were beginning to weaken. Or maybe they were just less pronounced since she was around him all the time now. She tried to focus on analyzing it, but the unsteady rhythm of the rain outside soon had her mind lulled and drifting. She was exhausted and it was only a few minutes before she was fast asleep.

A couple of hours passed in the silent room. A creak sounded outside of her consciousness, and Sakura found herself climbing upward, out of layers of sleep. Maybe Hidan had come in to get her for lunch. Another creak and her eyelids fluttered. He was being awfully quiet. Wait. His footsteps would be much heavier, making the soft sounds in the room louder than they were. Opening her eyes fully, Sakura froze in surprise. Karin was standing over her, her face twisted into a mask of hatred. Before Sakura had time to react, the kunoichi lifted her arms and plunged a kunai right into her heart.

"I warned you to stay away from him. Sasuke is mine!" she hissed, giving the lodged weapon a hard twist.

Shock took over as Sakura's body was invaded by the foreign metal. Then she released a scream as the pain set in. It hurt just as badly as one of Hidan's rituals, except there was no soothing pleasure to wash it away. Her body trembling, she forced herself to sit up. When she did, she felt something warm and wet run down her chest. Looking down, she gaped at the amount of blood oozing from the wound. It was soaking her shirt and had nearly reached her waist. Karin had backed up, and was watching her, a triumphant smirk on her face. It faded as Sakura turned toward her, her own anger showing.

Pushing the pain aside, she wobbly slid out of the bed. If she was going to die, she would be damned if Karin didn't pay for it first. She reached up and grabbed the hilt of the kunai. Crying out as the pain intensified, she slid the knife from her chest. More blood spurted down her clothes. Turning the kunai in her hand, she took a step toward Karin. The other kunoichi's eyes were huge.

"Why aren't you dead?" she yelled. "I know I hit your heart!"

Sakura's mouth twisted into a savage smirk as she advanced on the other woman, who stood frozen in shock and fear. "You should make sure you know what you're dealing with before you attack someone."

As Sakura advanced, Karin's self preservation kicked in and she pulled another kunai out of her pouch and charged. Sakura was ready for her, and deflected the weapon before grabbing her by the throat and driving her back across the room. She was not in any mood to play around. When Karin was backed against the wall, Sakura raised her arm to strike. She was so tempted to return Karin's affection and plunge the knife into her heart. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Sasuke had let her hold his hand. And that little action had spoken volumes about how the introverted Uchiha felt for the redhead. But she would hardly go unscathed.

Pain shot through Karin's shoulder as the kunai was plunged deep into the bone. She screamed loudly and tried to fight the pink haired kunoichi off. Wrenching the weapon out and taking a few steps back, Sakura gathered chakra to her legs. Blood flew from Karin's lips and her breath was taken as the kick connected with her stomach. She felt the wall behind her give way under the force and when everything stopped moving, she was lying in the hallway, bits of plaster and wood around her. Looking up, she saw Sakura standing over her, glaring.

"I'll let you live, but only because I know Sasuke cares for you. I don't want to hurt him any more than he already has been. But if you EVER try that again, I'll rip your fucking head off with my bare hands!" Sakura yelled at her.

Karin clutched her shoulder and started to stand up when another crash sounded down the hallway. Looking over, they saw a door open and Suigetsu went flying through the air and crashed into the wall. Sliding down, he landed in an unconscious heap in the floor. Kisame emerged in the doorway moments later, arms folded across his chest. He looked to where the two kunoichi were, and a smirk crossed his face. "Well, it looks like I'm not the only one stuck taking the garbage out today." he said with a laugh.

Sakura tried to smile, but the pain in her chest made it come out as a grimace. She started to say something more to Karin, but when she looked down, the girl was already gone. Kisame noticed the blood on her clothes and came over to see what had happened. Suigetsu regained awareness a moment later and, staggering to his feet, headed off in the opposite direction. There was another commotion in the direction of the kitchen, and Sakura's head turned towards the sound of running footsteps. Hidan arrived a moment later, Konan close behind him. Sakura sighed in relief and slid down the wall to sit in the floor. She coughed hard and tasted blood in her mouth. Hidan dropped to her side and his eyes widened when he saw the wound on her chest and the blood soaking her clothes.

"Sakura! What the hell happened!" he asked.

Sakura coughed again and spit out the blood that was collecting in her mouth. "Fucking bitch tried to kill me." she said. Hidan smirked at her harsh language. He must be rubbing off on her. Then his face turned hard as he realized what she said and anger washed over him. That bitch would pay for laying a finger on her. He started to get up when Sakura grabbed his arm and shook her head. "Hidan, don't. She won't be bothering me anymore."

Kisame shook his head. "Well if you're still this feisty, you should be all right. Will you be able to heal yourself?" he asked her. Sakura nodded.

"So why aren't you dead?" Konan asked, kneeling beside her as well and examining the wound. "She didn't miss."

"I don't know." she answered. Looking over at Hidan, she saw that he was staring at her. A look of guilt crossed his features before it was replaced by a small frown. Evidently, he had come to the same conclusion she had. There was only one way she wouldn't be dead with a giant hole in her heart. Through her connection to him, she was immortal too. The now familiar feeling of panic swept over her, and she fought against it hard. Pushing it out of her mind, she concentrated on healing herself. To her surprise, she found that her heart had already been repaired, and the intense pain she had felt was lessening at a fast pace. Using what little chakra she had regained while she slept, she closed the now superficial wound on her chest.

When she was finished, Hidan helped her to her feet. She wobbled and had to lean against him to remain upright. He said nothing, but held onto her. Konan had stood as well, and was examining the wall. Putting her hands on her hips, she turned towards the couple. "If you and Kisame keep this up, you'll end up remodeling the entire building. Luckily, we have plenty of supplies for this sort of thing. You can fix it tomorrow. If you feel up to it, that is. I'll understand if you want to rest and finish healing. I guess until then, you two can sleep in Sakura's old bedroom."

Excusing herself, Konan headed upstairs to let Pein know what had happened. Kisame went back to his room after making sure she would be all right with Hidan. Sakura grabbed a change of clothes and she and Hidan headed to their temporary bedroom. He still had his arm wrapped around her waist, and Sakura let him help her. She still wasn't sure she could go far on her own. Once they were inside alone, he released her and she shakily made her way to the bed and sat down. Hidan stood in front of her. His face was a mixture of awe and disbelief as he watched her. Sakura sat there in shocked silence. As the minutes passed by, the weight of what happened hit her and she found it hard to breathe. The panic that she had been fighting came back in force, hitting her like a tidal wave.

"...She tried to kill me." she said in a whisper.

"Sakura." Hidan said, trying to gain her attention and calm her. She was obviously distressed over what had happened.

"...She put a kunai in my heart and I didn't die." she said a little louder, her voice raising in pitch.

"Sakura." he said again with more force.

"I didn't die! It's not possible! I should be dead right now!" she yelled at him.

Hidan grabbed her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "Sakura! Snap the fuck out of it!" He yelled back.

She went silent, his words cutting into the fear raging through her. Her mind struggled hard to accept what had happened to her. "I'm immortal." she said, half in question, half a dazed statement.

"Yes." he answered her simply.

"I can't die?"

"No."

"Why?" She suddenly sounded like a lost child, and Hidan had to resist the urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her. What she needed now was some space to come to terms with her immortality.

He looked at her, his expression dead serious. "I don't know. Maybe Jashin meant for us to be together like this. Maybe you being connected to me wasn't an accident or a side effect of the jutsu."

Her distant eyes focused on his, and as she gazed at him, calm swept over her, chasing the panic away. Released from her anxiety, her stomach turned over and she paled. "I'm going to be sick." she told him.

Hidan helped her to the bathroom, and for the second time, she vomited in the sink. He brought her clothes to her and ordered her to take a shower. Still in shock, she went through the motions automatically. Fifteen minutes later, she was cleaned, dressed and out of the bathroom. Walking over to the bed, she climbed in and rolled onto her side, facing the door. She stared at the wood blankly as her thoughts ran circles in her head. Jashin had made her immortal. She had really met him. He really had sent her back to be with Hidan. While these thoughts were rolling through her mind, Hidan climbed in the bed beside her. She knew he was worried about her. She wanted to roll over to him, snuggle close and take comfort from the one person who had gone through what she was going through now. She wanted to tell him she would be fine. But she couldn't. She wasn't fine. So she lay there, staring blankly at the door while her mind tried to wrap itself around her new reality.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Lemon warning! If you wish to skip it, stop reading at the page break. I'll end the chapter with it, so no one misses any of the plot. For everyone else, enjoy! :)

Chapter 10

The afternoon passed and still Sakura hadn't moved. Her mind had finally calmed somewhat, but unconsciousness evaded her. She desperately needed to sleep and regain her chakra. But the harder she tried, the more awake she became. Her head was just too full of uncertainty. Her life seemed completely out of control, and she felt like she was speeding towards her doom with no way to stop it. Hidan had eventually fallen asleep, and was now snoring softly in her ear. Quietly, she sat up and turned to look at him. His eyes were moving rapidly beneath their lids, and she absently wondered what he was dreaming about.

Deciding she needed to do something productive, Sakura slid out of the bed. Anything to keep her physically busy would keep her brain from going nuts. Maybe now would be a good time to figure out just how their connection worked. She paced around the room, her bare feet making no noise on the thick carpet. She paused, her fingers finding their way to the now gone wound that should have killed her. An idea came to her, and she hastily formed a plan. She would need a kunai. Glancing over the unused furniture, she frowned. All of their weapons were in the other room. She didn't particularly want to be around anyone at the moment, but if she was going to test her theory out, she would have to risk it. Slipping out the door, she made her way down the hall. The building was eerily silent, the humid evening air lending it an oppressive feeling.

She was halfway to Hidan's room when voices coming from a slightly open door caught her attention. Masking what little chakra she had, she paused, her curiosity getting the better of her. She couldn't see anything from where she was standing, but she could detect two faint chakra signatures coming from inside. It was Sasuke and Karin, and they seemed to be having an argument.

"Why, Sasuke-kun?" Karin asked, her voice sounding tearful. "Why wouldn't you let me help you?"

"Because, Karin, your chakra was far too low. If you would have tried, it would have killed you." Sasuke answered her, his voice its usual monotone.

"I don't care about that. You know I would give my life for you. Better that than having _her_ touch you." she said, a hint of venom creeping into her voice.

"Don't be jealous, Karin. I don't have anything for Sakura, and she knows that now. There was no reason for you to attack her. She was just doing what she was told to do."

Karin huffed. "How can you take her side? She's from Konoha. The village that ruined your brother's life when they ordered the murder of..."

"Enough, Karin!" Sasuke snapped, interrupting her. "Konoha will pay for what they did to the Uchiha. And Sakura is now under the protection of Madara, not the Leaf Village. His reasons for keeping her here are not my concern, but as long as she is here, you will treat her as an ally. Do you understand?"

There was a long silence. "I understand." Karin finally replied in a pouty voice.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. What were they talking about? Were they seriously suggesting that Konoha was responsible for Itachi's crimes against his own family? Surely there was some mistake. The Third Hokage believed in peace. He would never have ordered something as depraved as that. But if Sasuke believed it, that would explain his behavior towards her. Not wanting to hear any more, Sakura slipped past the door and continued down the hall. Her head was already full of confusion, the last thing she needed was more. She reached Hidan's room without further incident. The mess in front of the wall had been cleared away, leaving only the gaping hole as proof that anything had happened at all. Slipping inside, she quickly found what she was looking for. Demon was sleeping in the windowsill, but he never stirred, not even when the drawer on the dresser slid shut with a dull thud.

Reaching her room once more, she found that Hidan was still asleep. Good. If she managed to wake him with what she was about to do, she would know her experiment was working. Softly padding across the room, she halted at the foot of the bed. She glanced at Hidan, then at the kunai in her hand. A sudden bout of nerves twisted her stomach into a knot. What if it didn't work? Chewing on her lower lip, she reminded herself that regardless of what she did, it wouldn't kill her. Before she could talk herself out of it, Sakura drug the knife quickly across her palm, slicing it deeply. She held her breath as pain shot across her hand. Blood welled up from the wound, and a trickle of it ran down to drip on the carpet. Glancing up, she watched to see if Hidan reacted. He continued snoring, completely undisturbed.

Okay, so nothing happened when she was injured in a regular way. But she already knew that. Otherwise, Hidan would have known when Karin had attacked her and would have come to help her immediately. Worrying her lip some more, she thought back to what Pein had told her. He had said that their mutual experience only happened when Hidan was performing one of his rituals. Her eyes landed on his pendant. The small piece of metal gleamed in the low light of the room. It was the same symbol Pein had drawn on Hidan's chest when they revived him. Was that the key to it all? There was only one way to find out. Dipping her finger in her own blood, Sakura began recreating the symbol on the inside of her wrist. She froze halfway through as fear washed over her. What the hell was she doing? She knew next to nothing about the way Hidan's rituals worked. What if she did something wrong and accidentally killed both of them, or worse, wound up back with Jashin?

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Sakura pushed her doubts away. She was regaining control of her life. That's what she was doing. Jashin was the one responsible for leaving her in this whole mess anyway. If she screwed up and he didn't like it, he could just get over it. Finishing the triangle within the circle, she brought the kunai down on her palm, making a deep cut close to the first one. She had barely pulled her hand back, hissing in pain, when she heard Hidan moan. Glancing up, she was shocked to find him sitting up. He was staring at her, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

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Steam rose from the hot spring, making Hidan's vision hazy. Blinking his eyes to clear them, he looked around. Taking in the once familiar surroundings, his mouth twisted into a frown. This was his home village. The Village Hidden in Hot Water. He was sitting in one of the lesser known springs, close to the edge of the town. His frown deepened and his amethyst eyes grew hard. Fuck, how he hated this place. Once a proud shinobi village, it was now reduced to a mere tourist attraction. All because the elders thought selling out their pride and way of life was worth a few extra dollars. Hell, Kakuzu would have loved it here. He started to stand up and leave when he looked down to discover that he was completely naked, save for the pendant around his neck. Sliding back down in the water, he let it slosh around his chest. How in the name of Jashin did he get back here anyway?

Movement ahead of him caught his attention. It was difficult to make out what it was because of the heavy vapor rising from the water around him. He saw a blur of pink first, followed by pale peach. Then it came close enough for him to see clearly and he froze. He felt his mouth drop open as Sakura approached him. She had a seductive smile on her face, her green eyes darkened with lust. And she was completely naked. Stepping lightly into the spring, she waded over to him. The water swirled lazily around her hipbones, and shielded her lower half from his view. But when she stopped less than a foot from him, Hidan found himself face-to-chest with the nicest pair of breasts he had ever seen. Not very big, but they were the perfect size for her slender frame. They were round and firm, and her dusky pink nipples were stiff, just begging for some attention. Mute with shock, he could only stare up at her as she reached out and trailed a moist finger down his face. Her touch was warm, and he felt his eyelids droop as his body responded. Desire set his veins on fire and he was suddenly, painfully hard. Fuck, he wanted her with an intensity he never knew existed.

Leaning forward, he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her to him. She obediently sunk to her knees, straddling his lap. When they were face to face, Hidan lifted a wet hand and cupped her cheek. A stray droplet of water escaped from under his fingers, following the line of her chin before hovering a moment and falling to the expanse of smooth skin below. He was about to kiss her when he felt her hand over his, drawing it away. Her smile turned playful, and when he looked down, she was drawing a kunai from the water with her other hand. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but didn't resist her. She couldn't kill him, after all, so there was no need to worry. He watched entranced as she brought the knife between them and let it hover over his captured hand. Turning it palm up, she let the tip of the blade lightly dig into his flesh.

Hidan's breath caught in his throat and excitement swept over him. He tightened his grip on her waist as he met her gaze. '_Do it._' he silently pleaded with her. Nodding as if she had read his mind, she applied more pressure on the blade, dragging it down his palm in one slow sweep. Blood trickled from the wound and dripped down to mix with the water below them. The pain came seconds later, spreading across his hand. Embracing it, he savored the pleasure that immediately followed. As Sakura pulled the kunai back, she leaned forward to kiss him hungrily. Hidan moaned in her mouth an instant before he bolted upright in bed, wide awake.

Three things registered in his mind as awareness settled around him. One, he must have been dreaming, because he was still at the Akatsuki base, in Sakura's bedroom. Two, Sakura was still in front of him, kunai in hand. Only she was dressed and blood was dripping from her palm, not his. And three, he could still feel the sensation of pleasure mixed with pain in his hand. Glancing down, his eyes widened when he could find no wound there. Realization dawned and he looked back up at Sakura in disbelief. No, surely she didn't. He let his eyes roam over her until they landed on Jashin's symbol, worked in blood on the inside of her wrist. She had two cuts on her palm, instead of one. She must have used her own blood to make the circumscribed triangle.

Lifting his eyes, Hidan watched her closely. She had an almost triumphant look on her face, and he could see a hint of desire residing there as well. Evidently, she was feeling just as good as he was. She was watching him too, and as she did so, she lifted the kunai and trailed it down the inside of her arm. It was just hard enough to break the skin. Hidan sucked in his breath as he felt his own arm begin to tingle and burn. No pleasure followed it, so he embraced it for both of them. He was pleased when desire washed over her features, darkening her green eyes. Excitement flooded him. Pein had been right. They really did share the same feelings during a ritual. Then she gave him an innocent smile. That one look was his undoing. Lust replaced the pleasure, and he suddenly wanted her more than he'd ever wanted anything in his life.

Sakura had to bite back a moan as pleasure raced through her body. She couldn't believe it. It actually worked! Glancing up at Hidan, she smiled apologetically. She really should have told him what she was going to do. But she figured that catching him off guard would be the best way to know for sure it was working. Meeting his eyes, her breath caught in her throat at the way he was looking at her. His stare was almost feral, and his violet eyes seemed to swirl with intensity. Suddenly uncomfortable, Sakura broke away from his gaze and looked at her hand. Blood was still seeping out of the wounds, staining the carpet beneath her. She'd better stop now and heal herself before she had blood everywhere.

She started lowering the kunai, ready to drop it to the floor, when Hidan's voice halted her. "Don't stop." he said in an almost hoarse whisper.

"What?" she asked, slightly shocked by his command.

" For fuck's sake, Sakura, I said don't stop." he answered forcefully. His voice sounded strained, and when Sakura met his gaze again, she nearly gasped. The raw need she saw written in his eyes was overpowering. What had she just done? The kunai slipped from her grip to land on the floor as she took a step back. She was in over her head. She had just loosed the tiger from its cage, with no way to close the door again. Her eyes widened when he slowly rose from the bed and advanced on her.

Hidan watched as a hint of fear crossed her face at his words. She stared at him before dropping the kunai and backing up. It was as if she just realized what she was doing was actually affecting him. Hell, that was putting it mildly. She had just done one of the sexiest things he had ever seen. He wanted to tackle her to the floor right there and fuck her senseless. But first, he wanted her to know exactly what she had him feeling. He might not be patient, but he had control. And if she was going to play with him like this, he would have to teach her how it was done.

Climbing out of the bed, he stalked over to her. She didn't move, just stared at him, wide eyed and waiting. When he reached her, Hidan wrapped his hands around her upper arms and pulled her flush against him. She didn't resist him, and when he touched her, her fear vanished as if it had never been. His gaze roamed her face, taking her in. She had her head tilted back, staring directly into his eyes. A light blush was beginning to form on her cheeks. Her mouth was parted slightly, and he stared at her lips, fascinated. Her innocent expression was pure temptation. Leaning down, he tightened his grip and kissed her.

Sakura hesitated as their lips met. From the way he had reacted to her experiment and the looks he had just given her, she knew exactly where this was leading. But was she ready? Playtime was officially over, and if she was going to stop him, it had to be now. If she let him continue, there would be no going back for her. Drawing back, she looked him in the eyes. He watched her, subconsciously holding his breath. Her gaze was met with desire, and something else. His eyes pleaded with her to not reject him. Sakura was touched by the sadness she saw in his depths. He looked so open and vulnerable, and it struck a chord in her soul.

Sakura cupped his cheek with her uninjured hand and gave him a reassuring smile. Sliding her palm along his jawline, Sakura curled her fingers around the back of his neck. Pulling his head down, she captured his lips. He let her kiss him softly at first, relishing the feel of her lips against his, but that didn't last long. With her acceptance, Hidan quickly regained control and practically devoured her mouth. Sakura couldn't help the little jolt of excitement that went through her. It was empowering to think that someone wanted her as much as he did right now. Feeling bolder under his attentions, she kissed him back with equal force. She felt one of his hands tangle in her hair as his tongue pressed her lips for entrance. Leaning into him, Sakura tilted her head and opened her mouth. With a powerful thrust, he claimed her mouth. It nearly took her breath, and she had to grab his waist to steady herself.

Hidan let his other hand trail down her arm. When he reached her injured hand, he wrapped his fingers around it and pressed his thumb into the wounds. Sakura hissed as the dulled pain intensified. It didn't last long however, as pleasure replaced it. She had to admit, the sensations she was experiencing with Hidan were wonderful. The feelings washing over her made her insides melt. As it reached its height, she moaned softly into his mouth. The sound seemed to calm him somewhat, and he ceased his demanding exploration to gently stroke her tongue. Stepping backward, he brought her with him until they reached the foot of the bed. Without breaking contact, he turned with her and lowered her until her back was resting against the mattress. This new position forced them closer together, and Sakura could feel his desire pressing against her leg as he leaned over her.

Hidan gently pulled her tongue into his mouth and sucked on it before letting her go and standing up. He gazed down at her for a moment before leaning over and retrieving the fallen kunai from the floor. Sakura braced herself against the mattress and pulled herself fully onto the bed. Hidan followed her up, and when she saw what he had in his hand, she sat up and her eyes grew big. What was he planning to do with that? She didn't have much time to think about it, because he had settled on his knees in front of her and was running his free hand up her leg. When he reached her thigh, his fingers wandered inward. Gripping gently, he pulled her leg to the side and scooted closer.

Sakura's breath hitched. His close proximity was making her heart race. Then he was touching her again, running his fingers upward, over the material of her shorts until he reached her waist. Sliding his hand under the edge of her shirt, he lightly stroked her stomach. Sakura felt her belly tighten as he teased her sensitive skin. Her eyes slid shut as his fingers wandered higher. When he reached her sternum, he flattened his hand out and pressed gently until she was once again lying flat against the mattress. Opening her eyes, she gazed up at him. He withdrew his hand and leaned over her. She thought he was going to kiss her again, but instead, he let his mouth hover near her ear as he whispered to her.

"Jashin rewards those who serve him very well. And tonight I'm going to show you just how fucking awesome it is."

He pressed a soft kiss to her neck before sitting back up. Drawing his hand forward slowly, he let the flat of the kunai trail against her other leg. The cool metal sent chills across her skin, making excitement rush through her. Higher he went, until he reached her stomach. Sakura gasped as he deftly turned it, and in one quick slash, cut through her shirt and bra. The material slid apart, baring her to his gaze. The air hitting her skin made her feel exposed, and she tried to cover herself. Hidan grabbed her hand, stopping her. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed her palm before placing it beside her head and releasing it. Then he did the same with her other hand, letting his tongue slide over her seeping cuts, licking off the excess blood. As he brought her hand to rest beside her head, he kissed her hard. When he drew back, Sakura's tongue darted across her swollen lips, and she could taste the coppery tang of her own blood.

Hidan gazed down at the woman beneath him. She looked so beautiful, with her pink locks fanned out on the pillow and her green eyes wide. Her pale skin was soft and smooth, and the gentle rise and fall of her breasts taunted him mercilessly. She was so open before him, he could have her stuck and bleeding before she would have time to blink. On a whim, he brought the weapon in his hand up and let the blade rest against the base of her neck. Her fingers twitched reflexively, but she made no move to stop him. Lightly, he ran the kunai down her chest, between the valley of her breasts and across her flat stomach. Her breathing became more rapid and he watched a tremor make its way down her belly. He met her gaze, a mixture of uncertainty and fear.

"Hidan..." she started.

"Shh. Don't move. You're gonna love this shit." he told her.

Raising the kunai, he made a small slice across his chest. Alarmed by what he was doing, Sakura tried to sit up. Her chest started burning and she released a tiny cry as the pain hit them both at the same time. Hidan closed his eyes and it quickly morphed to pleasure. A groan escaped from her lips as she fell back to the mattress. Her rational mind told her to stop him, this was insane. She had just parted her lips to speak when he opened his eyes. His gaze was piercing, and the way he was looking at her made her breath catch in her throat. It was like his whole being was laid bare before her.

Understanding swept over her. He wasn't trying to hurt her, or scare her. He was showing her who he was. No, who they were. Because as long as she was tied to him, his service to Jashin would be a part of her life. She could either fight it or accept it. Resisting it would be what she was supposed to do, but she already knew it would be futile. And the thought of indulging was very tempting. He could give her all the pleasure she could handle. All she had to do was bear the few seconds of pain beforehand. She had to admit, the element of danger was exciting as well. He could take her to the limit of human endurance without worry of falling over the edge. Her decision must have shown on her face, because the corners of Hidan's mouth twitched upward into a smile right before he made another cut below the first one.

Sakura closed her eyes as desire washed over them. It was intoxicating, the mixture of pleasure and pain. And it was even better knowing Hidan felt the exact same thing. The wave of feeling had barely started to ebb when she felt another sharp sting over her ribs. The third cut was deeper, and she threw her head back and moaned. The fourth cut came faster, making her back arch, and she moved her hands to clutch at the sheets beneath her. Her brain was growing hazy under his ministrations, and the world fell away until the only thing left was the two of them. The last cut he made was very deep, and the blood from his wounds dripped down, landing on her exposed stomach. It was warm and wet, and every splatter sent fire racing across her skin. She was trembling again, this time under the force of their combined lust.

Unable to resist touching her any longer, Hidan dropped the kunai to the bed. He splayed his fingers wide over her stomach. Moving slowly, he rubbed large circles over her abdomen, smearing his blood. The crimson liquid was warm and slick, and Sakura's breathy moans as he traced over her skin had him craving more. Reaching up, he cupped her cheek with his other hand, and she opened her eyes. The heated look she gave him made his gut clench, and he leaned forward to capture her parted lips. She kissed him back fiercely, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. He let his tongue tangle with hers before claiming dominance. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingers burying in his hair. Her legs drew up around him, trying to draw him closer.

Sakura nearly whimpered as Hidan broke off to kiss his way down the column of her throat. She tilted her head back and tightened her grip on his hair. Everywhere he touched her left trails of fire racing across her skin. And when his mouth finally closed over her breast, the ecstasy that swept over her made her body arch up into his. The movement bumped his chest, and he groaned as a fresh wave of pleasure swept over them. He bit down lightly on her nipple, then released it to blow gently across it. Switching breasts, he lavished attention on her until her nails were digging into his scalp. She moaned loudly, the sound making him harden to the point of pain. A fine sheen of sweat broke out on his body, and he could ignore the demand no longer. Wrapping a hand around her waist, he pulled her against him, grinding into her core. He wanted her to feel just how much he needed her right now.

Sakura's breathing became ragged as she felt herself grow wet from the contact. She was so hot, she knew she would burn up alive at any second. And when he pressed closer to kiss her again, she couldn't prevent the whimper that escaped her. She had to have him, now. Releasing his hair, she ran her hands slowly down his sweat slick back. Her fingers slid over his defined muscles, hardened from life as a shinobi. When she reached the waistband of his pants, she slid her hands underneath until she was tracing the curve of his butt. Damn, he had a nice ass. Curling her fingers, Sakura dug her nails into his taunt flesh.

Unable to control himself any longer, Hidan broke away. Grabbing the top of her shorts, he pulled them and her underwear off in one swift motion. After shedding his own pants, he paused to look at her, completely exposed before him. Grabbing her knees with both hands, he gently parted them. She was already ready for him, her pink curls damp with moisture. His body was screaming at him to take her, but he just had to touch her. Running a hand down the inside of her thigh, he let his fingers brush across her swollen cleft. She whimpered again, and her hips lifted of their own accord, seeking relief. Her lust hit him as well, and he obliged her unspoken request. He wanted to tease her more, watching as she writhed for him, but the way things were going, he wouldn't last much longer. Getting a good grip on her hips, he thrust inside of her, burying himself up to the hilt.

Sakura bit back a scream as Hidan entered her. The ecstasy that claimed her was nearly overwhelming. He moaned as well, tightening his hold on her in an effort to keep still. Her body barely had time to adjust to his invasion before he was moving again. Pulling back slightly, he thrust into her again. Sakura lifted her hips and met him with equal force. Releasing her, Hidan leaned forward and grabbed her hands, stretching them high over her head. Then his lips came crashing down on hers as his body picked up a fast tempo. The combined assault sent them both into a frenzy, and Sakura tightened her grip on his hands as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her. The friction between them was incredible. Her body tightened, pulling him in deeper, until she felt herself begin to spiral upwards. Hidan broke their kiss to bury his face in her neck.

"Oh, fuck!" the words were cried into her skin as he lost control. Sakura wrapped her legs around him as he thrust into her helplessly. Then her orgasm hit her as he came, and she was sailing free, completely lost to the world. She floated momentarily, bathed in light, before crashing back down to awareness. When she could finally open her eyes, she found that Hidan had released her arms and was leaning on his elbows, his whole body trembling. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him close until his breathing had steadied and he stopped shaking.

Regaining control, Hidan rolled off of Sakura. Lying on his side, he watched as she turned her head to look at him. A stray strand of hair fell across her face, and he swept it aside. Locking gazes, they stared at each other, saying nothing. Then she smiled at him. He grinned back at her. "See, I told you, fucking awesome."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura lightly slapped him on the chest. "You're impossible."

Her blow landed on one of his cuts, and she sucked in her breath as her own chest started stinging. Before she had time to breathe again, Hidan had pulled her into him and was kissing her fiercely. When he finally broke away for air, he stared at her. Sakura felt a blush creep up her cheeks, suddenly self-conscious under his intense gaze. Glancing downward, she tried to ignore the fact that she was lying there naked, covered in blood. Wrinkling her nose, she looked back up at him. "I need a shower." she said.

Nodding, Hidan released her. She shakily climbed out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. He followed her in, and after she turned the shower on and the water warmed up, stepped in with her. Her blush deepened. She had never showered with someone else before. But she had to admit, she enjoyed every moment of it. Hidan stood behind her, letting her have the water first. As she washed off, she had to keep moving around his hands. He just couldn't resist touching her. Finally, she relinquished the washcloth to him, and he finished soaping her up. When he reached her arms and washed his symbol off her arm, a small wave of sadness swept over her as their connection was broken. But it was quickly forgotten when he pulled her back into his chest and started softly kissing her neck.

When the water turned cold, long after she was clean, Sakura turned the shower off and stepped out. She dried off slowly, occasionally glancing over at Hidan as he did the same. The man had a body the gods would be jealous of. And if she wasn't so damn tired, she would tackle him right there and demand another round. But she was exhausted, both mentally and physically. So as soon as they were finished, she walked back into the bedroom. Hidan helped her change the sheets, and they crawled into bed. Claiming the softest pillow, Sakura lay on her stomach. Hidan lay on his side, facing her. She watched him as he scooted closer, and began rubbing her bare back. A satisfied moan slipped past her lips. He pulled the sheet up over both of them, and his body heat began seeping into her side. Her vision grew hazy under his relaxing efforts, and it wasn't long until she was fast asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The gray light of dawn was peeking through the window when Sakura opened her eyes the next morning. A chill went up her spine and goosebumps broke out on her arms as she realized she was cold. Groggily lifting her head, she looked over at Hidan. He was on the other side of the bed, the sheet pulled up to his neck, leaving her with nothing. Reaching over, she grabbed the corner of it and tugged until she was once again covered. Rolling towards the door, she closed her eyes. As her body warmed, she let her mind lull itself back to sleep. A few minutes later, her eyelids drifted upwards as the cool air in the room hit her bare skin. Reaching behind her, she found the edge of the sheet again and tried to cover back up. It didn't budge. She pulled harder. Nothing. Still half asleep and grumbling, she yanked the sheet as hard as she could. This time she was met with no resistance, but as the sheet went sliding over her, the momentum of her swing rolled her off the bed. She landed in the floor on her back, the sheet bunched up behind her.

"Ow." she said as she blinked her eyes and sat up. Hidan, awakened by the sudden noise, leaned up on his elbows and was looking at her.

"Sakura, what the hell are you doing in the floor?"

Feeling embarrassed, she climbed to her feet. "Nothing."

Hidan's high pitched laughter echoed in the room. "You fell out of bed, didn't you? Karma's such a bitch."

Sakura's eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Do what? I was asleep until your clumsy ass hit the floor."

"You stole the sheet and waited until I yanked on it." she accused, giving him a glare.

Hidan couldn't keep the grin from his face. She was absolutely gorgeous standing there, with her hands on her bare hips and that fiery look on her face that he was sure would terrify lesser men. He just couldn't resist prodding her just a little longer. "I'm telling you, I was asleep."

"Yeah right. You weren't snoring."

"I don't snore!"

"Hidan, you snore like a lumber mill on overdrive."

"I do not!"

Ignoring him and reaching down, Sakura picked up the crumpled sheet. She knew he was baiting her into an argument, and she wasn't going to fall for it. After last night, she just wanted to have a nice quiet morning with him. When she straightened back up, she noticed that Hidan was still watching her. His gaze wandered over her and a lustful gleam appeared in his eyes. Sakura felt heat creep into her face as she realized that she was standing completely naked in front of him. Balling up the material in her hands, she threw it at his face and turned to search for her clothes. She found her shorts quickly enough, but her shirt was lying with the bloodstained linen in the corner, ruined beyond hope. Frowning, she pulled her shorts on and walked back over to the bed. Hidan had reclaimed the sheet, but was sitting up now, his eyes closed as his mouth moved in a silent prayer. His pendant had been removed from his neck and now dangled from his hand.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Sakura waited for him to finish. But as the minutes dragged on, she found her patience wearing thin. "...Hidan?"

"Hmm?" he replied without opening his eyes.

"I need a shirt."

"Go get it then."

Sakura paled as the image of getting caught topless in the hallway flashed in her mind. "I can't do that!" she cried. Hidan cracked an eyelid and glanced at her before closing it once more, seemingly unconcerned about her plight. Frustration set in and Sakura climbed back on the bed. She was starving for some breakfast, and she couldn't get to the kitchen without Hidan helping her out. Since he never wore a shirt, she couldn't even borrow his until she made it to their room. Settling on her knees beside him, she tried to remain calm. "Will you go get one for me?"

"No."

"Why not? I can't just go running around the building half-naked!" she said angrily, her temper finally getting the better of her. There was just something about him that made her want to kiss him senseless one minute and strangle him the next.

Quickly finishing his prayer, Hidan's eyes snapped open. Before Sakura could blink, he had his arms wrapped around her waist and was pulling her across his lap. A squeak escaped her at the sudden movement. When she stopped, she was practically nose to nose with him, her legs on either side of his thighs. His chest was radiating heat, and her cool fingers found their way to rest on the toned muscles.

"Why not?" Hidan echoed back, locking gazes with her. Her nudity suddenly forgotten by their close proximity, Sakura lost herself in a pair of intense violet eyes. They came closer as she felt him cup her face with both hands. Then it was gone and he was kissing her. Not fast and hungry like he had been last night, but slow and measured, as if they had all the time in the world to be there and he was savoring every second of it. Her eyes slid shut and a pleased sound escaped from her lips as her anger left her and her body responded to him. Surrendering, she kissed him back.

Sakura suddenly found herself moving again. Hidan had reclaimed his hold on her waist and rolled with her until she was lying flat on the mattress, pinned underneath his larger frame. He never broke their kiss, and Sakura wrapped her arms around his shoulders as his tongue invaded her mouth. He lavished attention on her, stroking her tongue until her head grew hazy with pleasure. Then just as quickly as he had grabbed her, he broke away and she opened her eyes. She lay where she was, out of breath and her body on fire. Shirt forgotten, she reveled in the way his touch made her feel. Her eyes followed his every move as he climbed out of bed and strolled over to where his pants lay in the floor, completely uncaring of the fact that she was watching him. Pulling them on over his muscular legs, he walked to the door. Opening it, he started to step out, but turned back at the last minute to stare at her. His face was unreadable, and he suddenly turned away, his voice drifting back to her as the door shut behind him.

"Fucking beautiful."

The room faded into silence as Sakura's eyes remained focused on the door. But the only thing her mind registered was his words. They echoed in her head, making their way into her soul and winding tightly around it. The way he said it made her feel like the most treasured woman in the world. And in that instant, Sakura knew that Konoha was lost to her. She might not have physically betrayed the village, but in her heart, the deed was already done. She had accepted her new life and the fact that she couldn't go back. No, that wasn't quite right, either. She didn't _want _to go back. If she did, she would have to fight the people here she now considered her friends. She would have to fight Hidan, whom she had come to care for deeply. And she couldn't bear to be torn like that. She wasn't sure what she would do if Naruto showed up one day, or one of the other shinobi from Konoha. There was no way she could fight them, either. Swallowing her sudden unease, she turned her attention to devising a way to get to her clothes without being seen, or bringing the building down in the attempt.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the reopening of the door. Quickly drawing the sheet around her, she sighed in relief to see that it was Hidan. He walked over to the bed and tossed her one of her black bras and a mesh shirt. Sitting up, she began dressing as she waited for him to hand her the over-shirt. When he made no move to do so, she paused and looked at him. "Where's the rest of it?"

"The rest of what?"

Sakura released a long-suffering sigh. "My clothes."

"You asked me to bring you a shirt. If you wanted a certain one, you should have been more specific. Besides, I think you look just fine the way you are." he said.

Sakura just stared at him, surprised by the sudden lack of profanity. The subtle twitch at the corner of his mouth told her that he was teasing her again. She smirked. "I'm sure you do, but I can't eat breakfast in my underwear. What if someone comes in?"

A stab of jealousy hit Hidan as he thought of Sasuke seeing Sakura half dressed. He'd have to wring the Uchiha's frigid neck if that ever happened. Grumbling about the lack of privacy in the building, he handed over the dark green tank top he still had in his hand. She gave him a grateful smile and slipped it on. Climbing out of bed, she ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it. Her sandals were still in the other room, so she padded over to him, her bare feet making no noise on the carpet. Reaching up, she placed a kiss on his cheek before thanking him and heading out the door. He watched her go, then let his eyes roam over the room. When they landed on the sheets in the corner, he walked over and picked them up. They would have to be burnt to be disposed of properly. And now that he had something to lose, he really didn't want to screw up such a simple task and piss off Jashin. Slipping out the door, he headed outside to take care of it before breakfast.

Sakura entered the kitchen, delighted to find it empty. Making a beeline for the refrigerator, she pulled it open. Thankfully, it was well stocked. She grabbed a star fruit to snack on while she cooked some eggs and made toast. Fifteen minutes later, Hidan joined her. They had just sat down to eat when Demon came charging into the room. Without slowing down, the kitten tried to round the table and get to Hidan's chair. But the hardwood floor was slick, and he went sliding backwards, towards the cabinets. Scrambling to stop himself, his feet went out from under him and he wound up in a heap in the middle of the floor. Sakura started giggling. Narrowing his little green eyes at her, Demon picked himself up and started furiously licking his paw. After he was satisfied that there wasn't a hair out of place, he stood and stalked over to them, tail twitching. When he reached Hidan's side, he meowed up at him.

Hidan rolled his eyes. "Crazy ass cat." he said as he picked him up and set him on his shoulder.

He fed the kitten bits of his egg until Demon fell asleep, purring contentedly. Sakura watched him out of the corner of her eye as she ate. It was endearing to see him utterly spoil his cat. Who would have guessed that an elite, battle-loving shinobi like him would care for such a small, helpless animal? With a smile on her face, she finished the last of her toast. After cleaning up, they went their separate ways, Hidan to start his daily training, Demon in tow, and Sakura to patch the hole she left in the wall of their bedroom. She ran into Kisame in the hallway, and he showed her where the supplies were located. An hour of measuring, cutting and nailing later, and she had the replacement piece of drywall up and taped, and was slathering drywall mud along the seams. She was nearly finished when Karin and Suigetsu walked by. The redhead adjusted her glasses and glared, and Sakura was more than happy to return the sentiment. Suigetsu glanced between them, an apprehensive look on his face.

"You missed a spot." Karin said sarcastically.

"So did you." Sakura shot back.

Karin's face turned beet red as anger hit her hard. She had just started forward when Suigetsu grabbed her by the arm, and started dragging her on down the hallway. She struggled against him, but he wouldn't budge. Turning his head back, Suigetsu waved with his free hand and grinned at her. "Later, Sakura-san!"

Sakura gave him a small wave before turning back to her task. She had just knelt down and smoothed drywall mud over the last exposed seam when she felt Sasuke's chakra coming down the hall. What was this, Torture Sakura Day? A sigh escaped her lips as he rounded the corner into view. Determined not to watch him approach, she concentrated on what she was doing. But as he passed behind her, she couldn't resist glancing over her shoulder. Their eyes met briefly, and he kept on going, saying nothing. She fully expected to feel her stomach knot up and regret to wash over her. But as his cold gaze bored into her, all she could feel was calm. It was as if all the times he'd rejected her, hurt her and made her cry meant nothing. She had a feeling that if she didn't have Hidan, she would be an emotional puddle in the floor right now. But her self doubt and insecurities had been washed away in a flood of silver and violet, leaving her strong and alive.

After he was gone, Sakura stood and checked over her work. There was nothing more she could do until it dried. Then she would have to sand and paint it. She put the leftover supplies away and cleaned up. When she was finished, she started towards the training room to see Hidan. She made it halfway there when she suddenly stopped. Looking around, she let the feel of the building settle around her. The corners of her mouth tugged upward. It felt right; not quite like a home, but a place where she could see herself being happy. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her nerves and headed upstairs. Even though her mind was trying to reason its way out of her decision, her heart was telling her she needed to talk to Pein and Madara. She had chosen her side of the fence, and now was the time to jump. The sooner she got it over with, the better off she would be.

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Madara smirked behind his mask. He loved it when things went his way. He had been discussing the capture of the eight tailed ox with Pein when Sakura had barged into the office, asking to speak with them. When she explained her intentions, Pein looked surprised, and Konan had actually smiled.

"Are you absolutely sure, Sakura-san? We do not tolerate betrayal. Once you join the Akatsuki, you don't leave unless you are dead." Pein said.

Sakura swallowed hard. There was no turning back now. "Yes. I will join on one condition."

"And that is?" Pein asked.

"That you don't send me on any missions involving Konoha. I can tell you now that I wouldn't be able to fight against my friends."

"What would Konoha think of this decision, I wonder?" Pein asked.

Sakura dropped her head and stared at the floor. "Naruto and Tsunade-sama will be devastated. But too much has happened for things to go back to the way they were." she said in a quiet voice. Lifting her head, she looked Pein in the face. "I might never be forgiven, but I need to move forward. Wallowing in regret accomplishes nothing."

Madara considered her request in silence for a long moment. He didn't like bartering for one of his ninja's loyalties, but then again, she was offering him a much better deal than Itachi had. And if he agreed, he would be one step closer to his goal. "I think we will be able to do that as long as you agree to not interfere with anyone else on such missions. Konoha and the Akatsuki are not allies. Do you accept these terms?"

Sakura nodded. "I accept."

Pein stood from behind his desk. "Very well then. Konan will give you a cloak and as many weapons as you need. And taking into consideration your current circumstances, of course you will be partnered with Hidan." Pulling a drawer open, he fished a ring out. Sakura recognized it as the one that had belonged to Kakuzu. The last time she had seen it, it had been stored in Konoha for safekeeping.

"How did you manage to get that back?" she asked in surprise.

He dropped it into her hand. "We have our ways. You need to put it on the left middle finger."

Nodding, Sakura slipped the ring on in the correct place. As soon as she did, Madara performed a hand seal and touched the ring. Sakura hissed in pain as a foreign chakra enveloped her hand and entered her body. It wound its way through her system and settled in her head. The ring vibrated and shrunk in size to fit her smaller finger. Panting through the pain as her own chakra tried to fight the invading energy, she looked at Madara. "What is this?" she asked between breaths. Sweat broke out on her body, and she bent forward and grabbed the edge of the desk, her body automatically seeking relief.

"The chakra allows us to communicate with you directly. It's also a good way to keep track of where you are. The ring will allow you to participate in communication and sealing jutsu when we need you for them." he replied calmly.

Sakura might have cried out from the pain if she hadn't been through much worse lately. When it had subsided entirely, she straightened up and waited. Pein nodded his approval of her resilience and spoke again. "The first thing I want you to do is train everyday for the next two weeks. After that, if your skills are acceptable, we will give you your first mission. I already have one in mind, we just need to make sure you are ready. If you don't have any questions, you are dismissed. I am sure you are eager to let Hidan know who his new partner will be."

Sakura bowed awkwardly as Konan walked over to her. "Let's go get your cloak. I'll explain the rest of our rules on the way." the blue haired kunoichi said. Turning, they left the office together.

After they were gone, Madara looked at Pein. "Well done. One down, one to go. Things are starting to look good for us."

Konan led Sakura to the room where she had revived Hidan and healed Sasuke. After they stepped inside, she turned and looked at the pink haired kunoichi. "As well as going out on missions, when you are here, we want you to serve as our medic. You can have this room to work in, and we'll supply it with whatever you need." she explained. Sakura nodded. "One more thing." she continued, looking away as she spoke. "Before you and Hidan get too carried away with each other, I need to know if there's any chance that you could become pregnant. I don't have to tell you what kind of complication that would present in your usefulness to Madara-sama."

Sakura shook her head, even as she felt her face heat up. "No. One of the things Tsunade-sama and I developed when we worked together at the hospital was a jusu that temporarily seals off a woman's fallopian tubes. It's 100 percent effective, and completely reversible, should one of the kunoichi retire and want to start a family. I was the first one we tried it on. I wouldn't mind having children one day, but for now I'm as sterile as they come."

"Good." Konan replied in a soft voice.

Sakura didn't miss the fleeting expression of sadness on the other woman's face. "What about you? Do you ever want kids?" she asked.

Konan gave her a small smile. "It would be nice, but unfortunately for me, that's just not possible."

"Why not?"

Konan shook her head before changing the subject. "Come on, let's go see if we have a cloak that fits you." she said as she headed out the door. Sakura stared after the other woman, curiosity eating her alive. She wanted to know more, but she had a feeling it would be better to let it drop. She had only been here a couple of weeks, and there were some things you didn't tell to just anyone. So she absently chewed on her lip and followed Konan out into the hallway.

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Sakura walked down the hallway, a light blush on her face. She had her new cloak on, and even though it was very comfortable, she felt like she'd stick out in complete darkness. Crossing her arms over her chest, she made her way towards the training room. Evidently, a session was already in full swing. Occasional shouts could be heard, followed by long strings of profanity. Sakura rolled her eyes at the language. Hidan and Kisame must be sparring again, no doubt a rematch for the other day. She took a deep breath as she reached the door, and stepped inside. Sure enough, the shark ninja and the immortal were locked in combat, their weapons ringing loudly as they clashed together repeatedly. Kisho was leaning against the wall to her left, and when he saw her, his eyes widened slightly. Waving her over, he slid to the side so she had room to stand next to him. Sakura nodded her assent and took the offered place. They watched the two combatants in silence for a while, until Kisho's quiet voice made her turn her head and look at him.

"So, you've decided to stay?"

Sakura's blush returned and she shifted her weight. "Yeah."

"For him?" he asked, inclining his head towards Hidan.

"He's not the only reason. After the things I've done, my village would never just forgive me. I can't go back, so I might as well try to be useful while I'm here." she replied, dropping her gaze to the floor.

"But you were forced to help out, weren't you? You didn't have any choice."

"I could have chosen to fight and die."

"Then why didn't you?"

"To save one of my friends. And by the time I could fight again, it was already too late." she said before falling into silence.

Kisho pondered her words for a few minutes. Then he looked at her again and spoke. "My village is the same way. If I were to go back now, I'd probably be executed. They wouldn't understand why I didn't fight every waking moment to return to them. Village loyalty is everything in Hidden Stone." he said. Giving her a small smile, he excused himself and headed out of the room.

Kisho's absence drew Kisame's attention. Looking at the door, he blocked Hidan's scythe with Samehada before jumping back and swinging the greatsword up to rest on his shoulder. "Damn it, he's supposed to be paying attention, not wandering off." he grumbled loudly. Then he noticed Sakura leaning against the wall. A smirk crossed his lips an instant before his high pitched laughter echoed through the room. "Welcome to the dark side, kid. The cookies are in the kitchen."

Sakura smiled. "Thank you."

"Let me guess, Pein partnered you with the Zombie Man, here." Kisame said and Sakura nodded.

Hidan swung his scythe up and let it rest against his back as he turned to look at her as well. He grinned and crossed his arms across his bare chest. "See, Kisame, I told you I was that fucking good."

Sakura's breath caught in her throat as she realized what he was implying. Embarrassment washed over her, quickly followed by anger. Her nervousness forgotten, she stalked over to him and, drawing back, punched him in the face. Unprepared for the sudden attack, Hidan flew backwards, catching himself and skidding to a stop just before he would have hit the wall. Sakura glared at him. "You told him about last night? Hidan, you baka!" she yelled.

Rubbing his cheek where she punched him, he returned her glare. "Shit, Sakura, it's not like he didn't already know. He's got a better nose than any dog ninja in the world."

"Well, that doesn't mean you need to go talking about it!"

"Well, you didn't have to fucking hit me, either!"

Falling silent, they continued to stare angrily at each other for several minutes. Kisame looked between them and started laughing. "Before the blood starts spraying, there's a couple of things you need to know, Sakura-san. First, your new partner here, never shuts up. So get used to it, because the day he does, I'll turn purple. And second, this isn't some sweet little shinobi village where your reputation and respect are on the line if you wear the wrong colored shirt. We are Akatsuki. All we care about is your fighting ability and getting our goals accomplished. Beyond that, you could walk the halls naked and no one would think less of you." His smirk deepened. "I wouldn't recommend it, though. Pretty girls are hard to come by around here and you might find yourself entertaining more than just Hidan."

Sakura felt the color drain from her face at his choice of words. Just how much had Hidan told him? Her dignity beyond salvation, she dropped her gaze to the floor. The corners of Hidan's lips twitched upward as he watched her resolve weaken. "You're impossible." she told him with a sigh. Giving up, Sakura turned and walked out of the room.

The shark ninja shook his head after she left and looked at Hidan, a smirk still on his face. "She's got quite a temper. I think you found your soul-mate, Hidan-san."

"Jashin always provides for those who serve him." Hidan replied with a grin.

"Well, you'd better go apologize, or Jashin is going to be providing you with another bed to sleep in tonight."

Hidan stared at him. "Hey, that's not fucking funny."

Kisame started laughing before he headed out the door to see where his own partner had gone off to. Hidan ran his hand through his hair and went to find Sakura. He checked the kitchen first, but instead, he found Sasuke and Karin, eating a late breakfast. He wanted nothing more than to march in there and give them both a going over, but it just wouldn't have the same amount of satisfaction if Sakura wasn't there. So when he caught their attention, he gave them the rudest gesture he could think of before moving on. But just seeing them soured his mood, and as he made his way toward the front of the building, he went from grumbling under his breath to openly complaining about everything from the poor company to the color of the carpet. Suigetsu and Jugo were playing Shoji in the common room, and glanced at him as he loudly made his way past the door. Zetsu had just come in the front entrance, humming to himself and looking quite satisfied. There were little smears of blood around his mouth, and Hidan glared as he passed him. "Wipe your mouth after you eat, you cannibalistic fuck, or you might make someone vomit."

Zetsu frowned, but wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his cloak. "_Somebody's in a bad mood. Watch what you say, Hidan-san, you might hurt my feelings._ **I wonder if his immortality can survive digestion.**" he said in a clipped voice before shouldering past Hidan and making his way towards the stairs.

Groaning aloud, Hidan turned and headed towards his bedroom. Maybe Sakura went there. As he rounded the corner in the hall, sure enough, there she was, standing outside his door. Kisame and Kisho were with her, the latter decked out in a new Akatsuki cloak. Sakura noticed him first, and as he approached, she gave him a small smile. Relieved to see that she wasn't holding a grudge, Hidan walked over to her. Turning and looking at Kisho, he raised an eyebrow. "Two new members in one day? I'll bet Pein is jumping for joy."

Kisho nodded. "Yeah. And we already have our first mission. As soon as Sakura and I complete our last two weeks of training, Pein-sama will give us the details."

"Speaking of which, let's get to the training grounds, Kisho. We don't have time to waste and I think these two would rather be alone." Kisame said with a knowing grin. Inclining his head in farewell, Kisho followed his partner down the hallway.

Once they were alone, Hidan grabbed Sakura by the wrist. She squeaked as he pulled her into his room and slammed the door. Releasing her arm, he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her to him, burying his face in her neck. He inhaled deeply, breathing her in. The irritation and tension that had been plaguing him ebbed away, leaving him feeling calm and controlled. She must have been affected too, because he felt her relax into him, wrapping her arms around his torso. For several minutes they just stood there, locked in a silent embrace. Then he drew back and looked at her.

"Hey, I'm sorry I upset you." he said.

"Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have overreacted. Besides, it's not like we did anything to be ashamed of." she replied.

Hidan froze as her words sliced through him. ...Nothing to be ashamed of... Memories assaulted him as a face he had mercifully forgotten rose to the front of his mind. Pain roared through his soul. He suddenly released her and turned away. He could feel her eyes on his back, so he busied himself with putting his scythe away and randomly straightening the room. But the inevitable question came anyway, as Sakura approached him and laid a hand on his back. "Hidan, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Sakura stared at him. She didn't know what she did wrong, but somehow, she had struck a nerve that disturbed him deeply. He never acted this way. It reminded her of Sasuke when they were little, closing himself off to avoid some inner pain. She had seen first hand how destructive that could be. She wanted to help him, but until he talked to her, there was nothing she could do. So, taking a page from Naruto's book, she took a guess at what the problem was and charged right in. "Hidan, answer me. Who hurt you?"

Surprised, Hidan met her eyes briefly before dropping his gaze to the floor. Should he tell her? He hadn't told anyone about her, and the only person still alive who knew about it was Yaiba. Despite what Kisame had said, he didn't run around telling everything. There were just some things you didn't talk about. But Sakura had trusted him enough to tell him about Sasuke, it was only fair that he do the same. But he couldn't look at her. So he settled on staring at the carpet and taking a deep breath, he started to speak.

"Her name was Yume. And the first time I ever heard her voice, she was screaming my name."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Hidan licked the blood from his lips as it trailed from his injured nose an instant before another punch sent him flying backwards into the mud. Picking himself up, the five year old pulled a clump of mud from his short, spiky silver hair before looking at his opponent and glaring. "That didn't hurt, Matsu, you jerk!" he yelled before charging forward and tackling the other boy, sending them both crashing to the ground.

They rolled in a tangle of flying arms and legs until Hidan managed to pin Matsu down, and began pummeling him in the face. He didn't let up until the other boy ceased to fight back. When he finally dropped his fist, Matsu was just staring up at him, on the verge of losing consciousness. He was covered in mud, and the blood coming from his nose was beginning to merge with his dark brown hair. Standing up, Hidan crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out. "My dad is too the best shinobi in the village, so there!" he taunted before turning around and stalking off towards the village.

Matsu picked himself up off the ground. Wiping the dirt and blood off his face, he glared through his swelling eyes at the other boy's back. "I'll get you for that, Hidan! Just wait!" he yelled.

Hidan ignored him and kept walking. After a moment, he heard the other boy's rapid footsteps as he ran in the opposite direction, towards the mountain ravine. Looking up at the cloudy sky, Hidan guessed it was around lunchtime. He'd better get home and changed soon, or his dad would find out he was in another fight and yell at him. And if he wasn't at the table by the time the meal was served, his mother would make him wait until dinner before he could eat again. Picking up his pace, he started running down the main street of the small village. The cool mountain air soothed his swelling face, and as he passed one of the many springs scattered through the town, he stopped to wash the blood off his face in the warm water before continuing on. He was nearly to his house when a commotion at the head elder's house caught his attention and he stopped. Several people were talking in raised voices, and his curiosity overcame his growling stomach. So, wet and muddy, he walked over to see what was going on.

When he reached the edge of the elder's garden, he was surprised to see his father and Matsu's dad standing there. A couple of other shinobi he didn't recognize were there as well. Their backs were to him, so Hidan slunk closer. Between them was a girl around his age. She was thin and pale, and her long white hair hung to her waist. The shinobi had her by the arms, but instead of staring at the ground, she was looking straight ahead. She was wearing a kimono that looked like it had been nice once, but now it was torn and dirty, with several mended places. Her feet were bare, and her exposed legs had several large scratches on them that looked like they came from running through brush. The elder had bent down and was looking at her, and Hidan saw the hint of fear on the old man's face.

"Tell me child, where are you from?" he asked her. She just stared straight at him and did not answer.

"Can you not speak?" Still no reply.

"I still say she's a demon in disguise, elder. I've never seen any child that could run so fast." Hidan's father was saying.

"You probably scared her." the elder replied.

"And what about her eyes?" Matsu's father asked. "You can tell just by looking at her that there's something wrong."

Straightening back up, the elder shook his head. "It's possible that she possesses a bloodline limit, although I've never heard of a clan with looks like hers."

"What do you want us to do with her?" Hidan's father asked.

Hidan never heard the elder's reply. He was curious about what the girl's eyes looked like. It had to be something amazing to scare grown shinobi like that. Especially his father, who was afraid of nothing. Edging closer, he tried to look at her face. The movement caught the girl's attention, and she turned her head to look at him. His ice blue eyes widened as their gazes locked. Her eyes were jet black, with no pupils. Flat with almost no expression, they really did make her look like a demon had possessed her. As he stared at her, he felt himself getting sucked into their soulless depths, and his vision began to blur. Shaking his head to clear it, he suddenly found that he was surrounded by darkness, completely alone. The girl was gone, along with his father, the other shinobi and the elder. It was suddenly very cold. A snowflake drifted in front of his vision. It was snowing? That wasn't possible, it was already late spring. Looking up at the sky, he watched as flake after flake drifted down from a black sky. He followed their path, but instead of landing on the ground, they continued to fall through the blackness far below him.

Fear washed over him as his eyes darted around for any signs of life. He tried walking forward, but found he was rooted to the spot, unable to move. His uneasiness turned to panic and he frantically called out. "Hello! Is anyone here?"

There was silence for a long moment before a light wind picked up and began blowing. It swirled the snow around him, but as it gained in strength, he realized it wasn't a breeze at all, but a whispering voice. He had to listen hard, but he finally was able to make out what was being said. "Hello." the whispers said. "Who are you?"

He looked around to find the source of the whispering, but all he could see was the darkness and the snow. This place was strange and confusing, and he had no idea how to get back to the village.

Maybe whoever was out there could help him. Taking a deep breath, he answered. "Hidan. Who are you?"

"Yume."

"Where am I at, Yume?" he demanded.

"With me."

"That doesn't tell me anything! Where's my father?" he asked forcefully.

The breeze blew harder, and Hidan could have sworn he heard laughter. Then it settled down again and the whispering was back. "I like you. You aren't afraid of me. Will you be my friend?"

"Your friend? I don't even know where you are. Or where I am. Do you know how to get back to the village?"

Before she had time to answer, Hidan felt his vision begin to blur again and suddenly someone was shaking his shoulder hard. Blinking his eyes, he looked around to find that he was back in the elder's garden. Everyone was still there, and everyone except the girl was looking at him. His father was now beside him, his hand on his shoulder. Looking up at him, Hidan grinned with relief. "Father!"

His father looked down at him sternly. "Hidan, what are you doing here? You should be at home having lunch with your mother."

Hidan gazed around. He evidently hadn't gone anywhere, so what happened to him? That voice had come from somewhere, but where? Maybe if he tried to talk to it again, it would answer. "Yume?" Hidan called out. The girl turned as he said the name, her head bobbing in a slight nod. Hidan was shocked. She was the one that had been talking to him?

"I guess you were dreaming. You haven't moved in almost five minutes. Now go on home and tell your mother I'll be there shortly." his father commanded.

Giving his father a rebellious look, Hidan started to step back into the street. As he did, he looked back over his shoulder. The girl was still staring at him. Grinning at her, he nodded back. The corners of her lips tugged upward for just an instant before she turned back around to stare blankly ahead again. Hurrying home, he washed up and changed. His mother was already setting the table when he entered the dining room. As he slid into his seat, he didn't bother with trying to hide his red and swollen nose. She wouldn't notice it anyway. She was too busy making sure that the house, and herself, were absolutely perfect. He could come in riding a goat, and unless it decided to eat her tatami mats, she wouldn't pay him any attention. His father came in a few minutes later, and after giving thanks, began to eat.

"That elder, is a fool, seriously." his father said between bites. "There's something wrong with that girl, and he's going to take her under his wing like mute orphans just appear in hidden villages every day. She's probably a spy." Hidan's attention perked up. Maybe he would learn some more about that strange girl with the black eyes.

"What are you talking about, husband?" Hidan's mother asked.

After describing the girl and how he and the other shinobi found her trying to steal food from the meager village market, Hidan's father told them that the elder had decided to let the girl stay with him until someone showed up to claim her, or she left on her own. Hidan's mother shook her head. "Poor thing. And the elder's probably right. Her eyes are most likely colored that way because of a bloodline limit. And if that's the case, she could be a real asset to the village."

"If that's the case," His father started, irritation in his voice. "It's probably for a dojutsu. Mark my words, she'll have us all caught in a genjutsu and slitting each other's throats before we know what hit us."

Hidan's blue eyes widened. Genjutsu. Is that what happened to him in the garden? It must have been, because he was looking straight into Yume's eyes before everything went weird. But his father had to be wrong about her being bad. He didn't feel any hostility coming from her at all. Since she hadn't spoken to anyone, maybe that was the only way she could talk. And apparently, the only one she had talked to was him. Feeling proud that she had chosen him to be her friend, he finished his lunch with a secretive smile on his face. Maybe tomorrow he would go find her again and see if she would talk to him some more. He was just about to rise from the table when the sound of running outside caught his attention. Moments later, loud pounding sounded on the front door. His mother went to answer it, and soon escorted Matsu's father in. He was breathing heavily, and he had a worried look on his face.

"Come quickly." he said. "Matsu fell into the ravine and he's hurt badly. I think his legs are broken."

Raising an eyebrow, Hidan's father turned and looked at him. For the first time he noticed the condition of his face and his red knuckles. "Hidan, you were playing with Matsu this morning. What happened? Did you two get into a fight?"

Hidan swallowed hard and dropped his gaze. He had the feeling he was about to be in a lot of trouble.

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Dawn was just breaking over the mountain when ten year old Hidan jumped out of bed. Rushing over to his closet, he pulled on his favorite long sleeved shirt and pants. Slipping his sandals on, he pulled his shoulder length hair into a low ponytail before running out of his room and into the kitchen. Grabbing a rice ball for breakfast, he headed out the door and down the street. If he didn't hurry, he was going to be late. He had nearly passed the elder's house when he caught sight of Yume, sitting in the garden, staring straight ahead. It was freezing out, but never once in the five years he had known her, had Hidan seen her bothered by the cold. The fact that she was sitting there wasn't unusual in itself; but it was the first day of ninja academy, and the last thing he had heard, she was supposed to start with his class.

Coming to a halt, he stared at her until he caught her attention. He didn't bother calling aloud to her. She still hadn't spoken a word to anyone, himself included. And unless she was doing one of the household chores for the elder, she sat in the garden, in the same spot, staring ahead into nothing. To the rest of the village, she was a living statue. But nearly every day, whenever he saw her, she would pull him into her genjutsu, where it was always dark and snowy, and talk to him with those odd whispers. It had only taken a day for him to lose his fear of the place, and the more they talked, the more he enjoyed being there. And before he knew it, they were close friends. Near polar opposite in personality, she was always quiet and reserved where he was boisterous and opinionated.

Yume slowly turned her head and looked at him. His vision blurred and he felt the now familiar blackness settle around him. The snow started coming down, but instead of drifting like it usually did, it was pouring down furiously. It settled on his head and shoulders, and soon he had a thin white layer everywhere it landed. Looking into the dark, Hidan frowned.

"Yume, what's wrong? Why aren't you at the academy by now?"

She didn't answer him for what seemed like forever, but finally, the breeze picked up, and he could make out her whispered voice. "I can't go."

"Why not?" he yelled in shock.

"The counsel said that because I wouldn't speak, I couldn't communicate with a team and teaching me anything would be pointless. But I knew they were lying. They are afraid of me."

"That's so damn stupid!" he protested. "And they call themselves shinobi." No wonder she was upset. She had been really excited when the elder told her she would be going to the Academy. They had talked about nothing else for a month. Suddenly, he had an idea and he grinned. "Well, screw everyone else, you're still going to be the best damn kunoichi in Hot Water. Meet me at the spring outside the village every day after school is over. You know, the one no one ever goes to. I'll tell my father I'm out training, and I'll teach you everything I learn."

The snow suddenly shifted, letting up until it was lazily drifting again. He took this as a good sign, and he waited until he heard the whispering that was the only sign of her consciousness. "Alright."

Hidan felt his vision begin to blur as she released him from the genjutsu. When he came to, she was still sitting there, staring into nothing. He watched her for a minute, before he remembered he would be late, then turned and was going to start running towards the academy, but instead came face to face with Matsu. The spiky headed brunette smirked at him, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't know why you're always staring at her, Hidan. It's not like you'll ever get the Demon Princess to talk."

Hidan glared at him, his clear blue eyes oozing malice. He never told anyone about sharing Yume's genjutsu, she didn't want the villagers to judge him for befriending her. But that didn't mean he couldn't defend her. "She's not a demon! You take that back!" he yelled.

Matsu's smirk deepened. "Or maybe you think she's your girlfriend. I always knew the best you could do was a lifeless doll."

Hidan went to grab him and punch him in the nose. But Matsu ducked and took off down the street, towards the academy. Giving chase, Hidan ran after him. They had just reached the front door when Hidan tackled him to the ground. Matsu rolled under him and raised his arms to block the punch he knew was coming. Hidan raised his fist, and was ready to swing down when his arm was grabbed from behind. Looking up, he found the teacher of the academy standing over him, a frown on his face. "Hidan, Matsu, knock it off."

As soon as Hidan's arm was released, both boys scrambled to their feet, bowing before the teacher. "Gomen." they apologized in unison before glaring at each other.

"Shinobi must not let their temper get the better of them. You would both be wise to learn this lesson. Now get inside, Hidan. The first class is about to start." he instructed.

"Hai, sensei." Hidan replied sulkily before turning and heading up the steps to the front door.

"What about me?" Matsu asked.

"I'm afraid that with your weak legs, you won't be able to complete shinobi training. I'm sorry, Matsu, but the counsel didn't accept your application for the academy."

"But... why? My whole family is shinobi, it's been our way of life since the founding of the village! How can I not be a shinobi?" he yelled in hurt anger.

Hidan waited to see if Matsu would get into trouble for such blatant disrespect. The teacher just shook his head sadly. "I think it's best that you go home now, Matsu."

Hidan was still standing at the top of the steps when Matsu looked up at him, fury on his face. "This is all your fault, Hidan! If you hadn't swelled my eyes shut, I never would have fallen and gotten hurt. You're going to pay for this shame on my family!" he yelled before turning and stalking down the street towards his house. Hidan just shrugged and walked inside. It wasn't his fault Matsu wasn't watching where he was going.

That afternoon, Hidan headed outside the village. As he approached the hot spring, he started looking around for Yume. He didn't see her anywhere at first, but as the steam let up, he spotted her sitting on the edge, staring into the water. Walking over to her, he tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up at him, her black eyes focusing on his chin. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Nodding, she rose, her waist length white hair floating around her as she stood. Pulling two kunai out of his new weapons pouch, Hidan handed her one. "Okay, the first thing we did was target practice." he said, completely unaware of the pair of angry brown eyes watching them from behind a nearby tree.

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Hidan twirled his sword in his hand as he walked. He admired the way the blade glinted in the light as it moved, and the soft rushing sound it made as it sliced through the wind. He was a mile away from the village now, on his way back from his first mission as a jounin. His father would be proud. Only seventeen years old, and already he had distinguished himself by graduating at the top of his class and maintaining a perfect record of completed missions. The elders occasionally reprimanded him for excessive violence on missions, but he always got the job done, so they didn't complain too much. Hidan sighed loudly. If only the old man hadn't gotten sick, he would be around to share in his son's accomplishments. He was the best ninja in the village, just like his father had been, and he didn't even live long enough to see it happen. A slight whisper of sound caught his attention, and he sheathed his katana. Well, there was actually one ninja who was better than he was. Yume. They still trained together in secret almost every day, and she was better at everything than him. Everything except dodging. If she weren't faster, she would never land a blow when they sparred.

Waiting until his teammates passed him, he came to a halt. The kunoichi of the trio, Matsu's sister, turned and gave him an inviting look. "Aren't you coming, Hidan-kun? We're almost home." she said silkily. It was no secret that she liked him, and she tried all the time to lure him to her side. He had to admit, he enjoyed the attention that she and the other young women of the village showered on him because of his good looks. But he was no fool. She was as sneaky as her brother, and would turn on him the second he wasn't convenient.

"You guys go on ahead and give the elders our report. I'll be there in a few minutes." he replied.

Pouting, she turned back around and kept walking with their other teammate. Hidan watched as they made it to a bend in the road and disappeared out of sight. It was only when their chakra signatures had faded as well that he heard the slight whoosh as Yume dropped out of the tree he was standing under to land directly behind him. If he weren't so used to her near silence, he would have missed her completely. Even Matsu had went from calling her the Demon Princess to the Demon Ghost. Turning and facing her, Hidan looked her over. He had only been gone a week, but it still seemed as if she had changed. Her hair was still the same waist length white cascade she always wore, and her eyes were still the same flat black with a blank expression. Even her skin was as pale as ever. But she wasn't as thin as he remembered. She had a woman's body now. Her soft curves flowed over her well toned muscles in a way that sent his thoughts to places that he should never be going with his best friend.

Lifting his eyes to her face, he locked gazes with her and waited for her to begin her genjutsu. She stared at him for several moments before he felt his vision blur as he was pulled into the darkness. The snow began, large flakes that marched down into the blackness. He was finally learning to read her moods by the snow, and this time, he had the impression that she was sad about something. The snowflakes closest to him swirled around his body, as if she were trying to touch him in her disembodied form. He had finally gained some mobility in this state, so he sat down, holding out his hand to let the falling snow settle in his palm. Yume still hadn't spoken yet, so he blew the snow from his palm and spoke.

"Yume, what's wrong?"

"The village is going to war." the whispers echoed around him.

"With who?" he asked in a surprised voice.

"Everyone. The elders had a meeting with the ambassador from Kumogakure. The five great villages are practically at each other's throats. They are hiring all the available ninja from their allied villages. Yours was the last team to come back. You have to leave for Kumo tomorrow."

Hidan was silent. He didn't want to tell her that he was excited by the news, because he knew that she didn't want him to go. She would be left here alone, with no one to talk to, surrounded by people that feared her. He could tell her to come with him, but as soon as she was discovered missing, the head elder would search for her until she was returned safely. He was the only one other than Hidan who cared what happened to her. He had become like her father, even though neither one of them would claim the relationship. Standing back up, he forced a smile. "Well then, I'm counting on you to protect the village until I return. Kami knows, that retard Matsu would have the place overrun by bandits in a month."

She didn't answer him, instead, she released him from the genjutsu. By the time he came to, she was already gone. With a frown, he walked the rest of the way back to the village. His mission debriefing was short, and soon he was instructed to go home and pack. The chosen shinobi would be leaving at first light for Kumogakure. As he walked towards his house, he kept an eye out for Yume, but she was nowhere in sight. Opening the front door, he waited to see if his mother would come out and greet him. He didn't know why he bothered, she barely even acknowledged his presence anymore. Since his father had died, she slowly started losing her mind. Now the only things she did were obsessively rearranging the house and chattering on to people who weren't there. She must be in her room at the moment, because the only noises he could hear was her soft shuffling coming from that direction.

The silence in the room with him was suddenly oppressive, and Hidan slammed the door shut as hard as he could. He ran a hand through his shoulder length silver hair. "Fuck!" he yelled in frustration.

His mother poked her head out of her bedroom door. "Don't shout, Hidan. You'll wake your father." she chided. Ignoring her, Hidan stomped to his room and slammed the door.

The next morning, Hidan shouldered his heavy pack and headed down the street. He had barely slept at all last night, and the intense morning light made his eyes swell and water. He started past the elder's house, when a hint of movement caught his attention. There was Yume, sitting in the garden, the way she always did. He stopped and waited for her to look at him. She just stared straight ahead, her eyes never wavering. He waited a few minutes more and still she didn't move. When it was evident that she wasn't going to talk to him, he stalked over to her. As soon as he stopped in front of her, twin tears fell from her black eyes, tracking their way down her pale cheeks. She was crying? She never cried. And from the way she acted yesterday, he had a feeling it had to do with him leaving today. Feeling awkward and unsure, he leaned forward and brushed them away with his thumb. He then dropped a chaste kiss on the top of her head and turned to walk away. When he reached the street, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder at her.

"I'll be back. Seriously, there's no need to cry, Yume." he said with a grin. Turning back around, he continued down the street, a frown on his face. Watching his best friend cry bothered him even more than he was willing to admit. He was barely out of sight when a woman's pained scream shattered the stillness of the morning. He instinctively knew it was her, and his heart turned over. But he couldn't turn around. If he did, he would never be able to leave again. So he forced himself to keep walking, and one last time her voice rent the air before going silent.

"HIDAN!"

Icy blue eyes hardened. Damn them for this. If only they had let her go to the academy, she would be leaving with him, instead of ripping his heart out and staying behind.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The evening air was cold and damp. A handful of weary shinobi trudged along the muddy road, heads down to keep the dying light out of their eyes as they walked. Hidan walked several yards behind, nervously twirling his katana. Three long years had passed since he last traveled this road, and now he was back home. The second great shinobi war was finally over, and Kumogakure had lost. Its allies suffered the brunt of the damage, and the Village Hidden in Hot Water was hit harder than any of them. Out of nearly two dozen ninja sent to aid Kumo from their tiny village, only five made it back. Hidan's entire team was annihilated, and the only reason he wasn't lying in the dirt with them was because they sacrificed themselves so he could defeat their opponents. But even with the heavy losses, the remaining ninja had made a name for themselves with their fierceness in battle. Only Kirigakure could claim to have more bloodthirsty shinobi.

But now they were all tired. The trip back in the winter weather had taken it's toll, and Hidan felt weary to his very bones. All he wanted to do at the moment was sleep. But if he wanted to be able to move in the morning, he had to work out his sore muscles. There was nothing better for that than a soak in one of the hot springs. But he didn't want to be around anyone at the moment. The thought of looking into the villagers' faces as they announced their defeat was too much. So he let the others get further ahead of him before he silently turned off the road and headed for the spring just outside the village. The vapor from the hot water hung heavy in the cold air, making it hard to see until you were nearly upon it. Luckily, it was unoccupied, so Hidan slowly stripped down and stepped into the steaming water. It sloshed around his chest as he sat down, sighing as the heat began working its magic, warming him and loosening his stiff muscles. He sat there, enjoying the warmth for a few minutes before he ducked his head under, wetting his short silver hair and running his hand through it to slick it back.

Raising his head, he froze as he realized he wasn't alone. Wiping his eyes, he frowned, ready to lay into whoever was disturbing him. It morphed to a grin as he caught sight of the pale skin, long white hair and flat black eyes of Yume. She was sitting on the edge of the spring, staring straight ahead. She must have sensed his chakra close by and came to greet him. As stoic as she looked, he didn't miss the slight curve of her mouth that was as close to a smile as she ever got. Leaning back, he drank in the sight of her. Once again, she had changed. Her face had thinned some, losing all of its youthful roundness. But she had filled out everywhere else, her body fully that of a woman. Desire slammed into him, and Hidan quickly squashed it. He had lost all traces of innocence, both on the battlefield and off, but he was fairly certain she had remained as aloof and untouchable as she always was. But what if she did find someone? Would she even tell him? A stab of jealousy hit him, and he frowned at his sudden possessiveness. She wasn't a child anymore, she could do whatever she damn well pleased. Distracting himself by edging closer to her, he broke the silence.

"Did you miss me?" he asked in a teasing voice. She lifted her eyes to meet his, but he quickly dropped his gaze to the swirling water to avoid her genjutsu. He wanted to hear her voice again, hear it without the note of desperate pain that had haunted him every time he thought of her. "Talk to me, Yume. I know you can." he commanded.

She remained silent for a long time, and Hidan looked back up at her. She looked like she was struggling with some decision, the merest hint of emotions fleeting across her face. Finally she spoke, her voice quiet and low. "Alright."

"So, if you could talk all this time, why haven't you?" he asked.

"Because the elder is right. I have a bloodline limit, but it has nothing to do with my eyes. I can compel people to do as I command just by speaking to them." she said softly.

"That's an awesome gift! You could have anything you want just by saying it." he said excitedly.

"It's a curse, not a gift." she replied coldly.

"I don't see it."

"When I was four years old, my parents got into an argument. I watched my mother command my father to kill himself in a fit of anger. Of course, he had to do it, and when my mother realized what she had done, she took her own life in her grief. It was then that I knew my voice was a weapon, and if anyone knew about it, they would use it to their advantage. So I ran away from my village, vowing never again to speak so I wouldn't hurt anyone. I learned to use genjutsu to communicate when I needed to, but it usually just made people more afraid of me." she explained.

Hidan watched a tired expression cross her face, as if speaking about her past had drained all of her energy at once. They lapsed into silence, and it was then that Hidan noticed that darkness had fallen completely. The temperature was dropping rapidly, and a light shower of snow began to fall, as if Yume's genjutsu had somehow made its way into reality. Standing up, Hidan stepped out of the spring and began dressing, uncaring that Yume was still there watching him. He always used to soak in the spring after their training sessions, and she would often wait on him to finish before going home. She never said anything about it bothering her, and after awhile, he didn't even think twice about it. After he was done, she stood and together they walked to the road and into the village. Usually, they would have gone their separate ways by now, but she followed along behind him, as if she were afraid he would leave again as soon as he was out of sight.

"I like your hair that way." she said, out of the blue. "I never did think long hair suited you."

Hidan glanced over at her in surprise. It was probably the first time she had ever voiced an opinion on anything trivial. "Yeah? I'll have to keep it that way, then."

They were nearly to the head elder's house when a commotion from that direction caught their attention. Rolling his eyes, Hidan groaned. "Fuck! I'm home for five damn minutes and already shit hits the fan."

The corners of Yume's mouth tugged upward into her small smile. They reached the elder's house a minute later to find most of the remaining shinobi gathered in the garden. Matsu was there as well, standing next to the elder. Joining them, Hidan walked over to one of the men who had returned with him that evening as Yume went to stand next to her benefactor. "What's going on?" he asked.

The shinobi looked at him. "The head elder's about to make an announcement."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the elder cleared his throat and raised his hands for silence. The garden went deathly quiet, all eyes turned to the thin, wrinkled face that had led them for the last forty years. "The counsel and I have met with Matsu today, and we have discussed the future of the village. Far too few ninja have returned from the war that was not our own. Tonight, our wives and children weep for losses that were unnecessary and vain. We have decided that we are tired of it. The counsel voted on what we should do, and it was decided that the Village Hidden in Hot Water shall be a shinobi village no longer."

Shocked silence went through the small crowd. Finally the ninja beside Hidan spoke up. "What are we going to do to survive? The shinobi provide the village's main source of income."

At this, Matsu stepped forward. "We are going to use the village's untapped resources. Starting tomorrow, renovations will be underway to convert the hot springs into a resort that will attract visitors from the neighboring countries and beyond. We estimated that we will not only make enough to survive, but to prosper greatly."

Hidan stared at nothing as the faces of his teammates and the other ninja who had died in the war flashed in his mind. Bodies laid quickly in the shallow earth because there were too many to bring home. Rage flew over him. They hadn't even had a memorial service yet, and already they were spitting on their graves. Lifting his ice blue eyes, he glared at his longtime rival. "What? This is fucking ridiculous! What about our pride and dignity? The dignity of your sister, who died for her village? Are you saying we should just throw it all away and cater to a bunch of lazy ass tourists? You said it yourself. Being a shinobi is our way of life!"

Matsu sneered at him. "The counsel has already voted. If you don't like it, Hidan, you can leave."

Hidan's eyes narrowed. "I'll gladly become the last missing ninja of Hot Water. And it'll be worth it, because you are going to pay for this insult to everyone who ever gave their life in the name of being a shinobi of this village. Die, you worthless prick!" he yelled as he charged forward, drawing his katana.

Matsu pulled a kunai from his pocket and rushed forward. As they met, Hidan was surprised to find his first attack blocked. The brunette sneered. "Did you think that wisp of girl was the only one learning the ninja arts without going to school? My family made sure that I could carry out my revenge on you. I should be the one recognized as the best ninja in the village, not a second rate shinobi who befriends demons!"

Hidan pushed Matsu back as a fury he had never known swept over him. "I'm so sick and tired of hearing that shit! Fuck all of you! You want to see a demon? You got it!" he screamed.

Cries of "Protect the elder!" and "Someone stop him!" rang out as Hidan charged the closest person to him, which happened to be Matsu's father. As their weapons clanged, the garden went wild. The shinobi that were standing there rushed forward, drawing weapons and forming hand seals. Two of them had nearly reached Hidan's back when a blur of white landed behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, Hidan grinned. Yume had come to his aid. She had picked up a scythe that was leaning against the gardening shed, and swung it in a wide arc, pushing the oncoming ninja back. Once they were out of range, she looked back at him and nodded. She threw her scythe into the air the same time Hidan handed her his katana. She was better with the sword, and the scythe would give him a larger attack range. Catching it as it fell, Hidan spun the scythe in one hand and rushed Matsu's father as Yume charged into the crowd of shinobi behind him.

The other ninja dodged his attack, and Hidan pressed him. Blow after blow failed to land, and he swore in frustration. It was almost like sparring with Yume. "Stop running, you coward!" he yelled.

Matsu's father jumped back once more and smirked, glancing over Hidan's shoulder and nodding. Too late, Hidan realized that he had been leading him, away from Yume and her assistance. Turning quickly, he swung the scythe at the three shinobi rushing him from behind. At the same time, Matsu's father leaped forward, catching his exposed back and plunging a kunai into his ribs. Stars exploded behind his eyes as pain roared through his chest. How could he have been so stupid? He started gasping as his breathing suddenly became difficult. His lung had been hit, and he coughed hard, spitting up blood. Knowing he was in trouble, Hidan pulled the kunai from his side and rushed forward. If he was going to die here, he was damn sure going to take Matsu with him and make sure Yume got away safely.

The shinobi closest to him made the mistake of getting into range. A quick swipe with the scythe and his throat was open, blood spraying into the air. The second tried to help his friend, and he was rewarded with a split torso. The third was slower to go, losing an arm before taking the tip of the scythe's blade in the chest. Things went blurry for a second as the pain in his chest intensified. Then they cleared and Matsu's face was before him. Grinning, Hidan started forward, only to be stopped by an object pushing its way into his stomach. Looking down, his eyes widened to see Matsu shoving another kunai into his torso. He looked up just in time to be hit with a face full of blood. Matsu's head started tilting sideways, and suddenly rolled off his shoulders, revealing Yume behind him, the tip of her katana an inch from Hidan's nose.

His adrenaline waning fast, Hidan fell to his knees. His eyes tried to go out of focus, but he forced himself to stay alert. He could see the remaining shinobi closing in around them. Now that Matsu was dead, he only had one thing left to do. Drawing in as much air as his damaged lungs would allow, he held his breath and pulled the kunai out of his stomach. A muted scream escaped from between his clenched teeth as he dropped the weapon to the ground, blood from the wound following close behind. Looking up into Yume's flat eyes, Hidan gave her a regretful smile. "Get out of here, Yume. I'm finished."

She stared down at him and shook her head. Their opponents had nearly reached them, and Yume turned her head and looked at them. "Stay where you are!" she commanded them.

As if they were puppets on strings, everyone within range of her voice stopped what they were doing and stood still. Dropping her katana, Yume shoved the headless body of Matsu aside and leaned down. Wrapping her arm around his waist, she struggled with Hidan's larger weight until she had him standing. He slung one arm over her shoulders as his other hand reflexively held onto the scythe. Trying to help her as much as he could, they stumbled past the ninja watching their every move with their eyes. Yume ignored them and kept going. Once they were on the street, she looked back at them one more time. Hidan wondered if she was debating on giving them the order to kill each other or themselves. But she just turned back around and headed toward the entrance to the village.

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Hidan opened his eyes and glanced around. The sun was coming up over the mountains, and his shallow breaths puffed upward in little clouds of white. It was bitterly cold now, the wind blowing hard over them. It numbed the pain in his body some, but just barely enough to be tolerable. But if he didn't get out of the weather soon, exposure would claim him before his injuries did. They must have stopped sometime during the night to rest. He had lost consciousness after a couple hours of walking, his body continuing on automatically. Now he was lying under a little outcropping of rock. Yume was lying next to him, draping as much of herself over him to keep him warm while avoiding his injuries. Her eyes were closed, and he could tell by her steady breathing that she was asleep. He was just about to wake her when he felt an unknown chakra signature coming his way.

He barely had time to shake her arm when it was upon them. Turning his head to glare at the intruder, Hidan did his best to hide his injuries. He was surprised to see a shinobi around his age, with black hair and green eyes, staring down at him. He didn't looked concerned in the least at their condition, just curious. He didn't wear a headband marking which village he was from, but he did have an odd looking rosary around his neck. The symbol on it was a triangle surrounded by a circle. Hidan didn't recognize the religion, but that didn't really matter at the moment. He had no interest in finding faith, just getting Yume and himself out of the weather before they both died. Suppressing a cough as he breathed in the cold air, Hidan spoke. "Who are you?" he asked.

The other shinobi took in the sight of his bloody scythe, which was still in Hidan's hand and at his wounded torso before he answered. "Yaiba."

At the sound of his voice, Yume lifted her head and looked at him. "Yaiba, we need to get Hidan out of the weather. Take us to some shelter." she said to him.

Yaiba bent down as Yume slowly stood up and helped her pull Hidan to his feet. As they started walking down the road, supporting Hidan from either side, he looked over at the pale girl, his eyes sharp and calculating. "That's some jutsu you have there." he remarked.

She didn't answer or look at him, just continued forward, wanting to get someplace safe as quickly as possible. Hidan took in a rattled breath and looked over at Yaiba. "She doesn't talk much." he said in a hoarse voice.

"I understand why."

"Where are we going?" Hidan asked.

"There is a Jashinist temple nearby. You can stay there for now."

"Jashin?"

"He is the god I serve." Yaiba explained.

Hidan rolled his eyes. But at least the conversation was keeping his mind off of his pain. "Let me guess, you're on a mission to spread love and brotherhood to a world that doesn't give a flying rat's ass about your religion."

Yaiba laughed, the sound carried away from them by the wind. "You certainly have a lot of spirit for someone on their way out. Serving Jashin-sama has nothing to do with love or brotherhood. He's the god of slaughter and those who follow him only deliver death to the world."

Hidan just stared at him. In his twenty years of life, he had never even heard of such a thing. He had to admit though, his curiosity was piqued. Ninja were around death almost daily. It made sense that there would be people out there that embraced the violent side of their life. The trio fell silent as they walked, the only sound of their passing the labored breathing of Hidan. Their progress was slow, and after a half hour more of walking, Yaiba stopped and pointed with his free hand. "There it is." he said.

It was a small building with no windows, set into the side of the mountain. The symbol that was on Yaiba's rosary was painted on the door in red. Yaiba pushed it open and they made their way inside. As soon as the warm air hit Hidan's lungs, they tried to seize up, and he coughed hard. By the time the fit subsided, he had lost consciousness, mercifully slipping away from the pain. But it didn't last long. All too soon he was opening his eyes again. They had gotten him to a bed while he was out, and Yume and Yaiba were standing over him, talking to each other. It was strange to listen to Yume talking to someone else. Or anyone, for that matter. But as he lay there listening to them, her voice washed over him, soothing him with its quiet, steady sound.

"I don't think he's going to make it." Yaiba was saying. "His wounds are too severe. He's already running a very high fever and he's lost a large amount of blood. There aren't any doctors for miles. You should let me do him a favor and send him on to Jashin-sama."

Yume stared straight ahead like she always did. "There has to be something we can do. Think of everything."

"I'll try." he said before turning and leaving the room.

When he was gone, Yume sat next to Hidan on the bed. He was staring at her, sweat running down his fevered face. She still had blood on her clothes, and some of it was splattered on her right cheek. Images of their fight in the garden flashed through his mind and he paled. "Fuck! What did we just do? Every hunter nin in the country will be after us!" he cried out in a panicked voice.

"Rest, Hidan. We're fine for now. It'll be at least a day before the village will be organized enough to send anyone after us."

Hidan watched her as she spoke. Even as the shock of what happened was rocketing through his brain, she remained as strong and quiet as ever. She just sat there in her stoic beauty, weathering the storm he had drug her into. Suddenly he felt bad for getting her into this mess. She was his friend, and she deserved more than the life of a missing ninja. Always having to watch their backs and be on the lookout for bounty hunters and hunter nin. She should be getting married, starting a family, if she wanted one. And he had taken away all chances of her being happy in one moment of angry recklessness. Lifting his hand, he laid it on her arm. "I'm sorry, Yume." he said.

The corners of her mouth lifted in understanding. "You don't have to apologize to me. You've done nothing to be ashamed of. I was proud to finally be able to fight with you." she replied.

Yaiba entered the room then, and Yume turned to look at him. "I've went over everything, and I can think of only one way to save him. But the price is very high, if it will even work." he said.

Yume looked him in the eyes, and Hidan watched as Yaiba stilled. She must have pulled him into her genjutsu, because neither of them moved for several minutes. It irritated him to not know what they were saying, especially since he knew it had something to do with him. He was just about to shake her out of it and demand to know what was going on when another coughing fit hit him. Blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth, and pain shot through his stomach as the spasms in his chest irritated the wound. By the time he had quieted down again, Yume and Yaiba were out of the genjutsu, and she was looking at him. She didn't speak for a long time, and Hidan would have given anything to know what she was thinking. Then without her eyes leaving his face, she addressed Yaiba. "Prepare for the jutsu. I'll do it." she commanded.

Without a word, Yaiba turned and left the room again. Hidan gave her a confused look. "What the hell are you doing, Yume? What is going on?"

For the second time since he had known her, tears made their way down Yume's cheeks. Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Sleep." she commanded him. Hidan tried to fight it, needing her to answer him, but her will was strong and in moments his consciousness slipped away.

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When Hidan awoke, the cold of the floor was pressing into his bare back. He groaned as the pain from his wounds reminded him that he was still alive. Low chanting reached his ears, and his eyes opened as he realized that he wasn't alone. Lifting his head off the floor, he looked around him. He was in a large room, and it was very dark. There was a ring of candles around him, and behind that, priests surrounded him, their mouths moving slowly as they went through the rhythm of the chant. He tried to sit up, but the pain in his chest and stomach made moving very difficult. Movement off to the right caught his attention, and as he craned his neck to focus on it, his mouth dropped open.

Yaiba and Yume were coming towards him. The Jashinist priest was bare chested, wearing only a pair of black pants and his rosary. But it was his best friend that he couldn't stop staring at. Never in his life had he seen a woman as beautiful or sexy as she was in that moment. She was dressed in a sheer crimson gown, her pale shoulders covered by nothing but two small straps. The flickering candlelight bounced off her frame, creating soft shadows in the dips and curves of her body. Her long white hair floated around her, swaying gently in time with each step of her bare feet. Nothing was left to the imagination, and if the pain in his body hadn't prevented him from moving, he might have tackled her right there, audience be damned.

Yaiba went to stand at Hidan's head, just outside the circle. Two of the priests parted so Yume could enter and walk to his side. Lifting one foot, she stood straddled over his waist before kneeling down. Hidan's eyes widened when she leaned over him, her hair falling around them like a curtain. Her black eyes stared into his blue ones. He thought she might pull him into her genjutsu, but she just watched him, as if she was memorizing his face. Then his shock wore off and he remembered where they were. Glancing up at Yaiba, then back to her, he grabbed her arms. "Yume, what the fuck are you doing?" he whispered.

She glanced at Yaiba and nodded before looking back down at him. The priest began forming hand seals. It was a complicated series, and when he reached the last one, he held it and began chanting along with the other priests. Their concentrated chakra began to glow a soft red. Closing the distance between them, Yume pressed her lips to Hidan's before sitting up. Raising her hand, he saw that she held what looked like a red ceremonial dagger. Locking her eyes onto his face, she spoke in a steady voice. "I'm sorry, Hidan." she said. "But I can't let you die. Don't move." she commanded.

The chakra swelled as she lifted her hand and made a long slice in her upturned arm. Blood began pouring out of the wound, and she moved her arm so that it could drip onto the wounds on his torso. Hidan's eyes were wide with shock. "Yume! What the hell are you doing? What did these bastards talk you into?"

He tried to force himself up, but the more he pushed against her chakra, the more she pushed back. Switching hands, she sliced open her other arm. The wounds were very deep, and she was bleeding so profusely, it had nearly covered his stomach. If she didn't get help soon, she would bleed out and die. Since he couldn't move, he yelled. "Yume, stop! This is fucking crazy! You don't have to die for me!"

The color was quickly draining from her face, and Hidan watched as her lips began trembling. Gripping the dagger with both hands, she raised it above her head. She looked straight into his eyes. "I love you." she whispered before bringing her arms down, plunging the dagger directly into his heart.

Suddenly, everything slowed down. The chanting in the room seemed deafening. The red chakra flared and swirled, glowing brighter until it was nearly blinding. As Yume pulled the dagger back out of his chest, a pain unlike anything he had ever known seized him. It made the wounds in his lung and stomach seem like mere scratches. He heard someone screaming. It took him a moment to realize that it was his own voice disrupting the accord of the priests. A weight settled on his chest, and he looked down to see that Yume had dropped the dagger on the floor, and was draped across his chest, her hair quickly soaking up the pool of blood it landed in. He could feel her chakra waning fast, and using all his strength, he lifted his arms and wrapped them around her. She didn't move, but her quiet voice drifted up to him.

"Embrace the pain, it helps." she whispered. Hidan couldn't answer her, his voice wouldn't work anymore. She continued talking, her words sounding slurred and unsteady, as if she were drunk or nearly asleep. "I want you to do me a favor, Hidan. Forget me. I'd rather you move on and live your life than hate me for what... I've just... done."

She went limp in his arms. He didn't have time to scream for his loss, because all of a sudden, he started feeling light headed. The pain was still there, but he felt like he could float above it and escape. He couldn't hear the chanting anymore, and he tried to turn his head and look at the priests. Everything was a blur, and he couldn't bring anything into focus. All he could see was the red of the chakra as it swirled over him. Then the world started tilting on its own an instant before everything went white.

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Hidan opened his eyes and found himself staring up through the branches of a tree into a starless sky. There was no moon, and the only light came from a small red paper lantern that hung on one of the limbs. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The air was quite warm, but the silver maple above him was frozen, encased in a layer of clear ice. He lifted his hand to find it covered in a wet red substance that looked a lot like blood. He started to sit up when he realized that he didn't hurt anywhere. His memory returned in a flash and panic washed over him. Was he dead? And if he wasn't, where the hell was he? And where was Yume? Sitting up, he frowned. His body felt weird. He couldn't detect his chakra at all. He opened his mouth to call for Yume when a voice interrupted him.

"Ah, you're finally awake." it said.

Snapping his head toward the source of the sound, Hidan frowned. There, walking on a path of black volcanic stone, was a man. His long black hair hung down in his pale face, and as his swirling violet eyes bored into him, Hidan reflexively shuddered. There was something about this guy that screamed evil, and he was instantly on the defensive. Jumping to his feet, he dropped back into a defensive pose and scanned the area for anything he could use as a weapon. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked.

"I have many names, but you may call me Jashin."

"Jashin? As in, Yaiba's god, Jashin?"

"One and the same."

"Bullshit. Where's Yume at?"

"Really? If it's bullshit, explain how you wound up in my garden. And to answer your question, she's standing right behind you."

Hidan whirled his head around, and his eyes widened in shock to see a huge white she-wolf with ice blue eyes standing right behind him. She was staring straight at him, her cold eyes bright with intelligence. Turning back to Jashin, he shook his head. "I don't know what kind of joke this is, but that's not her, Yume's eyes are black."

"Not anymore." The god said as he released a sinister laugh before snapping his fingers. A mist formed between them, and Hidan suddenly found himself staring into a mirror. His reflection was the same as always, but there was something wrong with his eyes. The pupils were now jet black, the exact same color of Yume's. Confusion and fear hit him. He looked back at the wolf, who walked up to him and stood at his side quietly. His heart hit his stomach as he realized that Jashin was telling the truth, as crazy as it all was.

"What the fuck happened to us?" he yelled. The mist dissipated and Jashin's face appeared before him again.

"You were dying. Yume offered her life and soul to me in exchange for saving you. It was really quite entertaining. She's the first one who didn't hesitate or back down at the last moment. Her courage is quite commendable. I normally wouldn't consider such a request, but I'm feeling generous today."

Anger flew over Hidan. "Entertaining? That was entertainment for you? Fuck you! And that didn't answer my question. Why is she a wolf with blue eyes?" he yelled.

"Makoto, who was my very first priest, asked me for a companion. Since Yume offered herself to me, I figured that this would be the best use for such an innocent soul. In exchange for her transformation, I offered her one bonus to our original deal. She chose your eyes, which is why hers are blue and yours are now black."

Hidan advanced on him, anger roaring through him. "Change her back. Now. You have no right to fuck with us like this."

Jashin smirked. "You've got a lot of spirit. That's good because you're going to need it."

Hidan knew he shouldn't even ask, but he just had to. "For what?"

"It's my turn to honor our bargain. I'm going to send you back, Hidan. Since you've technically died already, the only way I can do that is by making you immortal. But it has stipulations. You have to remain in my service, sacrificing others to maintain your life. You can't get without giving."

"And if I don't?"

"My bargain with Yume will be broken, and non-existence will await you both. But as long as you remain faithful to me, you will never die and she will remain here, running free with the other wolves, hunting to her heart's content."

Fear washed over Hidan. If what Jashin was saying was true, Yume's very existence now depended on him. "What if I do something wrong? I don't know a damn thing about being a priest."

"Don't worry. Yaiba is wise for someone so young. He will show you what you need to know. Listen to everything he says and you can't go wrong." Jashin replied.

Hidan turned and looked at Yume. The vision of her sitting over him, whispering those words that he never imagined he would hear coming from her entered his head. She loved him. And she had just given up everything for him. Now they were going to be separated again, this time for ever. His heart turned over as the memory of her screaming for him rang in his head. This was just wrong. He didn't think he could leave her alone a second time. "I don't want to go. Can't we just stay together here?"

"Then what would I have gained for my intervention? Two squatters in my garden? No, Hidan, I'm afraid you have no choice. You have to go back. And it's just about time."

Jashin approached him. Bending down, he stuck his finger into the stream next to the path, coating his finger in the blood at his feet. Standing back up, he drew a circumscribed triangle over Hidan's heart. As soon as it was completed, Hidan gasped as his body was suddenly invaded by a mass of red chakra. He couldn't move as it wound its way through his system. When it reached his head, he started swaying as he grew light headed again. Things started going blurry, and Jashin quickly grabbed him by the arms, turning him around. "Say goodbye, Yume." he commanded her.

Sitting on her haunches, the wolf lifted her nose to the moonless sky. She howled loudly, the mournful sound burning its way into Hidan's heart. As the garden began fading from his vision, she howled again, and this time other voices joined her. Just before things went completely white, he caught sight of a massive black wolf with blood red eyes standing beside her. Then she was gone, and he felt himself falling through the bright nothingness.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the temple, lying on his back in the circle of candles. Yaiba was kneeling next to him, and the other priests were still sitting silently around the circle. Everything was exactly the same, except for one detail. Yume was gone. His best friend of fifteen years, vanished into thin air. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think as pain roared through his brain. Rage followed quickly, and scooping up the dagger lying beside him, he jumped to his feet. His chest and stomach were still hurting, but he relished it. It helped to take the edge off the void that had just been ripped into his soul. Stalking over to the person closest to him, Hidan grabbed Yaiba and threw him across the room.

"FUCK YOU, JASHIN!" he screamed. A red haze rose in front of his eyes and everything went black as he rushed into the crowd of priests jumping to their feet.

When he came to, he was sitting in the middle of the circle, drenched in blood. Pools of it were splattered around the room, running together and dripping into the cracks of the floor. Bodies lay scattered everywhere. The candles were knocked over, and small streams of smoke rose from the extinguished wicks. He looked around at the devastation. Did he do all this? Turning his head, he saw that Yaiba was the only one still alive, standing quietly against the wall. Hidan rose and stalked over to him. He didn't look like he was in shock or afraid. In fact, he looked completely calm, as if he didn't just witness the slaughter of an entire temple of priests. Hidan grabbed him by the neck, and still he never flinched.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" he yelled.

Yaiba looked him straight in the eyes. "Afraid of death? I told you, Jashin is the god of slaughter. And I'm sure he is quite satisfied with your first sacrifice. My brothers knew what would happen when the jutsu was completed, and they accepted their fate. Now, let's get you back to your room so you can heal and I can clean up this mess. I'm sure you want to be alone right now. Tomorrow we will head to the main temple and begin your training as a priest."

Hidan released him, a look of shock on his face. "How did you know I needed to do that?"

Yaiba looked away. "My vision was carried with you in the jutsu. I saw everything."

Stunned, Hidan released him. Yaiba turned and started heading down a dimly lit hallway. Hidan followed him automatically. When they reached his room, Yaiba left him. Already, Hidan could feel his wounds closing up, the pain and stiffness dissipating rapidly. Feeling angry, restless, and out of control, he made his way to the bathroom. Yume's precious blood was still all over him, and as much as he cherished her, the sight of it on his skin sent a fresh wave of pain through him. He made his way to the sink. As he grabbed a cloth and wet it, he glanced at his face in the mirror. He was half afraid to look, knowing that seeing her eyes in his face would bring it all back again. But what he saw shocked him even more. Instead of flat black, his eyes were the same color as Jashin's, a dark reddish violet. Dropping his gaze, he quickly finished cleaning up and left the bathroom. Stretching out on the bed, he stared at the ceiling. His mind was mercifully blank, shutting out everything but the sight of the plaster above him. His chest had finally stopped hurting as his wounds started healing at an amazing rate, and he took a deep breath before sighing.

"Fucking purple eyes." he complained to no one.

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Hidan laughed maniacally as he hovered his pike inches from his black chest. His adrenaline high, he relished in the wave of pain that had just washed over him. Embracing it, he morphed it to pleasure and grinned. The shinobi that would soon be his next sacrifice stared up at him from where he was lying on the ground. Blood covered both of them, oozing from identical wounds. Savoring the other man's fear, he yelled. "Now die, in the name of Jashin!"

Taking a deep breath, he plunged the pike through his heart. He felt the curse connect, and the shinobi on the ground started gurgling, blood running from his lips. The pain bounced back to him, and Hidan felt himself falling to the ground as ecstasy swept over him. The pleasure was so addicting, he hadn't even passed out yet, and already he was craving more. He was thankful that he had an eternity to enjoy it. Then his body shut down under the force of the feeling, and everything went white.

When he came to, he pulled the pike out of his chest and sat up. He was just about to stand, when he froze. He wasn't alone. It was a shinobi, and judging by his chakra, a pretty powerful one. Well, Jashin-sama would be pleased. Two sacrifices in one day. Turning, he leveled his violet eyes on the intruder. Out of the shadows stepped a man barely out of his teens. He had bright reddish orange hair, and piercings covering his face. He was wearing a black cloak with crimson and white clouds. Beside him stood a kunoichi with blue hair and a similar cloak to his. His swirling silver eyes bored into Hidan's and he spoke.

"Those are not your eyes. Already we have one thing in common." he said.

Hidan frowned. Memories threatened to surface, but he pushed them as far back as they would go. He had spent the last thirty years burying the past in bodies and blood, and he wasn't about to dredge it up now. Distracting himself, he collapsed his pike and stood. He walked over to where his triple bladed crimson scythe was lying on the ground and picked it up. He took his time winding the cable up, and when he was finished, he glared at the shinobi still standing there.

"If you're here to fight me, attack already. Otherwise, piss off."

"I'm not here to fight you. I've heard an interesting rumor about a shinobi that is impossible to kill. I'm always on the lookout for ninja with talent, so I thought I'd come see what all the fuss was about. I'm pleased to see that all the talk was true."

Hidan just gave him a bored look. He didn't give a damn what anybody said about him. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked sarcastically.

"My name is Pein and I'm here to recruit you for the Akatsuki."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"I was with the Akatsuki from that day on, until that pineapple headed shit dropped me into a hole in the woods." Hidan finished.

Sakura didn't say anything for a long while. While Hidan was talking, they had moved to sit on the bed, she in the middle with her feet tucked under her, and he on the edge, hanging his legs over the side and staring at the floor as he spoke. When silence finally hung between them, she edged closer, wanting to comfort him somehow. She now knew why his eyes held that occasional sadness, and listening to him talk in a quiet, uneven voice about things that were obviously painful for him to remember struck a chord in her heart. Her vision blurred and she felt her eyes well up as she reached out a hand and laid it on his bare shoulder.

"Hidan..." she started.

He turned his head to look at her, and when he saw the tears threatening to spill over, he quickly averted his gaze. When he spoke again, his voice had regained some of its former confidence. "Don't do that." he commanded. "I couldn't bear it if you cried for me too."

Using her free hand to quickly swipe at her eyes, Sakura gave him a weak smile. It faded as she thought of what he said about Jashin's garden. So, he had been there as well. She knew that she had to tell him about her own trip there, if only to let him know that he wasn't alone in the world. So she untangled her legs and slid to sit side by side with him on the bed. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him. "I didn't know how to say this before, but I think it's time you knew something, Hidan."

He met her gaze, his green-flecked violet eyes suddenly wary. "What's that?"

"During the jutsu that revived you, I blacked out, and when I woke up, I met with Jashin in his garden." she said firmly.

She waited for him to laugh at her, or be angry that she would suggest such a thing, but he just stared at her a long moment before speaking. "Well, what did he say?"

"He said I had a job to do for him."

So this was the reason she had been so accepting of his religion and their bond. "Tell me everything." Hidan commanded.

Sakura described to him the two frozen trees and seeing Makoto and the other black wolves, and what Jashin told her about sending her back. When it came time to tell him about sacrificing Madara, she fell silent, suddenly afraid she would be overheard. If any of the other shinobi got wind of what Jashin had told her to do, it would be disastrous for both of them. So she stood and faced him before wrapping her arms around him and kissing him fiercely. If anyone did happen to be watching them, it would just look like they were making out. But as Sakura nibbled her way to his ear, she began softly whispering the dark god's plans. Quickly catching on to what she was doing, Hidan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. His eyes widened in understanding as she finished, then drooped downward as she kissed her way down his neck before pulling back and looking into his face.

He stared at her for a long moment, desire darkening his gaze. Then he tightened his grip on her and kissed her deeply. Her touch had been a soothing balm, smoothing over the ragged wounds that he had reopened in his soul as he recounted his past. And he needed more. Delving into her mouth with his tongue, Hidan savored the taste of her, and the feel of her body as she pressed against him. When he was finally satisfied, he drew back. As Sakura looked up at him, a grin split his face, but his eyes were as stormy as ever. "I never did like that mentally unstable dumb shit. So, when do you want to do it? I'm free all day." he said.

Sakura just shook her head at his eagerness. "He said I would know when the time was right."

Hidan's grin faded and he was suddenly serious. "I'll do whatever it takes to help you. Just let me know and I'm fucking there."

Glad of his show of support, Sakura gave him a soft smile. "Alright."

Silence fell between them and hung suspended in the air. Then Hidan surprised her by leaning forward and burying his face in her neck. Reaching up with one hand, she cradled the back of his head, letting her fingers slide through his soft silver hair. They sat like that for several long minutes until Hidan rolled with her, pulling her down to rest beside him on the mattress. And then he made love to her for the second time. It was every bit as intense as the night before, but there was a new element of need in his touch. It was as if he was afraid of falling apart, and she was the only thing that could keep him together. Afterward, she lay snuggled against him, still naked and uncovered in the sultry afternoon heat. He had his arm thrown over her waist, dozing lightly. She lightly stroked the supple skin on the back of his hand as she closed her eyes and sighed in contentment. She had never before felt so peaceful. If only it could last forever...

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Several days later, Sakura was in her medical room, unpacking the brand new supplies she had bought earlier that morning. Already her shelves were lined with sterile gauze, antiseptic, bandages, and all the medical books she could find. Now she was putting away her new syringes, in a chest of drawers she moved in to hold all her smaller supplies. She had just grabbed the last one out of the box when a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." she answered.

The door slowly creaked open to reveal Zetsu standing there, a rack of clean glass vials in his hands. He looked a little uncertain, so Sakura gave him a smile and waved him inside. He stepped closer, ducking to keep his mandibles from hitting the top of the doorway, and set the vials down on an empty shelf. "_Good morning, Sakura-san._ **I hope I'm not disturbing you.**" he said.

"Not at all. Are those for me?" she asked, indicating the vials.

"_Yes. Pein-sama asked me to bring them to you. He said you would need them to prepare antidotes for poisons. _ **He also asked that I grant you access to my collection of plants so you can have a large variety of substances to work with.**"

Sakura watched him shift uncomfortably as he spoke. He was obviously reluctant about the whole thing. She wasn't sure whether it was because she would be intruding on his private domain, or because he would have to show her around and work with her to get what she needed. She had come to learn that he was the least social of the Akatsuki, only appearing around others when it was absolutely necessary. The rest of the time he spent alone, either in his bedroom or in one of his private conservatories around the base. Which was fine with her. Because even though she had gotten used to his odd looks, there was still something about him that sent her alarm bells ringing. But no matter how creepy he seemed, she still had to work with him.

Placing her syringe in the drawer and pushing it shut, she raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Zetsu-san?"

"_Yes._ **It's fine.**"

"Alright, I won't keep you long. Lead the way."

With a nod, the plant ninja turned and exited the room. Sakura followed along behind him. As she walked she took the opportunity to stretch some of the stiffness from her neck and arms. Her rigorous training was starting to take a toll on her. Kisho hadn't been kidding when he said that Kisame was a relentless teacher. He lived to fight, and when he sparred with them, he held nothing back. She had a feeling even Naruto would have a hard time keeping up with the shark nin's enthusiasm. But all the hard work was paying off. She had never been in as good a shape as she was now, not even when she was training with Tsunade.

Zetsu paused in front of a locked door. Sakura came to stand beside him and watched as he pulled a key from his cloak and unlocked it. He slowly pushed the door open, then turned to look at her. "_Here we are._ **Be careful where you walk.**"

Sakura stepped inside, expecting to see racks of plants lining the walls under lamps. But what she found startled her. Not only were the plants not on shelves, they weren't even in pots. There was a small ramp leading from the door to a raised floor, then the room spread out in a wild tangle of foliage. Plants of all kinds were growing together, and in the darkened corners of the room, she spotted several varieties of poisonous mushrooms, their bright colors standing out against the greenery surrounding them. What she could see of the raised floor was enriched dirt. The walls were painted a deep blue to resemble the sky. Lights hung suspended from the ceiling and a light mist constantly sprayed over the room from a source she couldn't yet see. The result was that the air was very warm and humid, and Sakura had to take a deep breath to adjust.

She glanced over at Zetsu, who had been waiting for her reaction. "Wow, this is amazing. Do you use all of the plants here?"

"_Yes._ **Each one has an ingredient for my mixtures, most of which are poisons or tranquilizers.**"

Tranquilizers. Of course. "So, the plants used to make the drug that knocked out Ino and me are in here?"

At the mention of the incident, Zetsu's mandibles drew up around him until only his eyes and nose were visible behind the greenery. He didn't answer her for a long moment, then he turned away from her and spoke. "**Let's find what you need.** _I'm sure you're eager to start analyzing these __compounds. Some of them are very rare._"

She wanted to ask him how he found anything in here, but that would probably offend him and make him retreat from her more than he already was. So she just accepted the handful of baggies he pulled from a shelf behind the door, then followed him through the mass of greenery to the center of the room. She had to step wide to avoid a belladonna plant before kneeling down where he crouched in a little clearing of grass. Pulling a small pair of scissors from his cloak, he began trimming the lesser leaves off of a plant she didn't recognize and placed them in the bag she held open for him. When he had a small amount, he moved on to another plant and started the process again. In addition to the leaves, he dug a small section of root and added it to the bag as well. She watched him work for several minutes as he meticulously handled the plants, then her attention faltered and her eyes began wandering over the room. That was when she noticed the glass partition in the back. As far as she could tell, it was a floor to ceiling enclosure, and there was only one plant inside. It sort of looked like a rose, but the thorns on the stems were elongated, and the leaves were darker than any she had seen before, and very waxy. A tiny black bud peeked up from the top, the very edges tipped in white.

The soft sound of the scissors had ceased, and when Sakura looked back down, Zetsu was staring at her, the expression on his face making a shiver go straight up her spine. It wasn't lustful or cold, but he just looked...hungry.

"Zetsu-san, are you okay?" she asked.

He didn't reply, just kept staring at her with that intense gold gaze. It was then that she realized just how alone with him she was. Fear threatened to freeze her in place, and she had to keep reminding herself that no matter what he did to her, it wouldn't kill her. But that didn't mean he couldn't hurt her. She wanted to back away from him, or turn and run, but she had a feeling that either one would provoke him. Maybe if she distracted him, he would snap out of it. Taking a deep breath, she pointed to the plant in the back. "What kind of plant is that back there? Is it sick or something?"

His head snapped to look where she was pointing. She watched as his face lost its dangerous look and returned to normal. She let out a relieved sigh. Zetsu silently stood and walked to the back of the room to examine the plant. After a moment he waved her over, and she warily followed, coming to a halt about a foot from him. "**It's not ill.** _This plant is extremely rare. Almost impossible to grow._" he said.

Sakura glanced at it, then back to him. "What makes it so special that it's worth all the trouble?"

"**It produces only one bloom each year, which means you only get one seed as well.**"

"_And when it blooms, the fragrance it produces is the most potent hallucinogen I've ever come across. The waxy coating on the thorns and leaves contain a deadly poison as well. Which is why it is separate from the other plants. One touch and you're dead before you take your next breath. But the wax doesn't appear until it begins to bud._"

"Do you have an antidote for the poison?"

"**No.** _The stems are too delicate to collect the leaves for study. To try would kill the whole __plant._"

After he spoke, he turned and looked at her. All at once he seemed to remember something important and he fell silent. Walking back toward the center of the room, he resumed his previous task. Sakura helped him, until she had an armload of filled bags. Then they left the conservatory, and Zetsu locked the door behind him. They walked back to the medical room, where he labeled each one for her and described their properties. Finally done, he left, leaving her with her new collection and her microscope. When she was sure he was gone, Sakura let out a huge sigh of relief. It was no wonder Zetsu was the only one of the Akatsuki who worked alone. She had never seen anyone so unpredictable in her life. One second he was shy, the next friendly and open, and the next she felt like he would kill and eat her on the spot.

With her head still reeling from the encounter, she stuffed the bags into a drawer to deal with later. First she had to finish her unpacking. She had no more than got turned around when another knock sounded on her door. Praying it was Hidan, she ran a hand through her hair. "Come in."

The door opened and Pein walked in. Giving him a respectful bow, Sakura was surprised to see that he was alone. It struck her as odd that Konan wasn't with him. The blue haired kunoichi rarely left his side. Straightening, she gave him a polite smile. "Pein-sama, what brings you here?" she asked.

"Sakura-san. Do you have a few minutes? There is something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Sure."

"Good. Grab a syringe and follow me."

A syringe? Even more puzzled by Pein's visit than by Zetsu's, Sakura did as she was asked. The orange haired shinobi led her up the stairs and into his office. He sat at his desk and Sakura came to a halt before it. Lacing his fingers together, Pein studied her for a long time. The silence drug on until Sakura was shifting uncomfortably under his gaze. Finally, he spoke.

"I have a favor to ask you, Sakura-san."

"What's that?" Sakura asked a little impatiently. This mystery seemed to be dragging on forever, and her temper was threatening to get the better of her.

"Understand first that this is something that must be spoken of to no one. The only reason I'm trusting you with it is because necessity dictates it. And since you are from Konoha and have been raised with a strong sense of loyalty, I know that once you have given your word, you are more likely than most to keep it." Pein said sternly.

Sakura nodded. "I understand."

"Good." Pein reached into his desk and pulled out two matching wooden boxes and handed them to her. They were sturdy and small, about the size of a bracelet case. A plain clasp on the side revealed the opening. Lifting the lid on one, Sakura was surprised to see an empty vial lying nestled in the black foam padding.

She glanced at Pein, confused. "What are these for?"

He didn't answer her, but instead stood and walked to the wall behind his desk. Forming a set of hand seals, he lay his hand on the paneling and pushed until it gave way, revealing a secret room. Glancing over his shoulder, he waved her over. When she reached his side, vials and syringe in hand, he spoke. "Sakura-san, I'm about to show you something that only Konan and Madara-sama have seen. Don't ask any questions, the less you know the better off you are."

Without waiting for a reply, Pein stepped through the doorway, Sakura right behind him. It was very dark at first, then Pein flipped a switch and light flooded the room. Sakura squinted her eyes, letting them adjust to the sudden assault. When she was able to see properly, she looked around and gasped. In the center of the barren room was a man. The first thing she noticed was his long red hair hanging in his face. It was so bright, it made Kisho's look dull in comparison. Then she saw the machine he was sitting in. A large cylinder set on a dais seemed to swallow him up from the waist down. Six spider-like legs attached to the bottom gave it mobility. His arms were in two long tubes on either side of it. There were hoses attached to his back and great black rods stuck out from behind him.

Finally she noticed the condition of his body. If it hadn't been for his shallow breathing, she would have thought she had stepped into the room with an unwrapped mummy. He was so thin, his skin just seemed to hang off of his bones. His collarbone stuck out sharply, as well as his ribs. His skin was very gray, and looked like it could peel off of him at any second and blow away in the wind. He had his eyes closed, probably shielding them from the bright light. Pein stepped right up to him, and beckoned her closer.

Stepping forward shook Sakura out of her shock, and a wave of sympathy washed over her. How could anyone live like this? He must be in pain every waking minute. A thousand questions burned in her mind. Who was he? And why did Pein keep him in the dark in a secret room? Was he a prisoner? Or was he here by his own choice? Reminding herself that Pein had a job for her, she reached his side and waited for him to speak.

"Sakura-san, I need you to get two blood samples. One for each vial. I'm going to keep one, and I want you to hang on to the other one. Keep it with you at all times, even when you are out on a mission."

Swallowing hard, Sakura took her syringe out of its packaging and stepped forward. A twinge of fear passed over her as she neared. She didn't know if it was the machine, or the strange black rods, or what did it, but she felt as if she would be killed should she make the wrong move. She was too short to reach his arm from the ground, so she found that she actually had to climb up on the dais. The emaciated man never moved as she invaded his personal space. Reminding herself that she would be perfectly fine, Sakura tentatively laid a hand on his arm, just above the elbow. It was easy enough to locate a shallow vein in his thin flesh, and as she slid the needle under his skin, she went into medic mode, instantly calming and focusing on her task. As she worked, she couldn't help but talk to him. It had always been her way to try and soothe her patients.

"There now, this won't hurt much and will only take a second." she said. Glancing at his emaciated body, she continued. "I don't know who you are, or how you got this way, but I'm truly sorry that life has been so hard on you."

She didn't expect him to respond, so she was shocked when he slowly turned his head and opened his visible eye. Rings of silver met green, and for a moment, Sakura forgot what she was doing. His eyes were exactly like Pein's. Did that mean they were related somehow? Brothers maybe? Then he spoke, and Sakura was once again surprised at how similar his voice was to Pein's. "Don't pity me, Sakura-san. All gods must suffer in order to transcend humanity."

He thought he was a god? She would have wondered if he was delusional, if Jashin hadn't given her a broader perspective of the world. Now, she would probably believe anything, no matter how insane it sounded. A sudden energy spike brought her back to the present. Sakura glanced down in surprise when she felt chakra leak into the syringe, mixing with the blood. Odd, that had never happened to her before. She looked down at Pein, who just nodded, so she continued without comment. Finally filled, she emptied the syringe into the vial and prepared to start again. She glanced over at the redhead again, but he had faced forward again, eyes closed, as if he had never moved at all. She was finished in a moment, and was about to climb down when she noticed the yawning black space behind the machine. It looked like another room was back there. She could tell there was something in it, but the light was too dim for her to completely make it out.

Climbing down, she turned to Pein and handed him one of the boxes. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Sakura-san."

Tucking the second box in her weapon's pouch, Sakura followed Pein out of the room. Right before she reached the door, she looked back over her shoulder. The redhead had his eyes open again, watching her, and from behind the machine, five sets of silver eyes began emerging out of the darkness. Turning back around quickly, she emerged in Pein's office, where he closed the door with another set of hand seals. Then the orange haired shinobi gave her a hard stare.

"Now, give me your word that nothing you have seen or learned here will leave this room."

Sakura took a deep breath and nodded. "I swear it."

"Good. You are dismissed. And protect that vial with your life. It is worth more than you'll ever know."

Sakura gave Pein a low bow before turning and leaving his office. As she walked, it was all she could do to keep from freaking out. Her mind was so jumbled with questions about Pein and the redhead in the secret room, that she scarcely realized that she had arrived at her medical room. Pushing the door open, she let out a relieved sigh at being back in familiar surroundings. Putting a hand to her head, she flopped down on a cot and closed her eyes. At this rate, she would have a headache from all the excitement. As she relaxed, the adrenaline began draining out of her, leaving her mentally and physically tired. She had just reached a state of calm when she heard a commotion in the hallway. And it seemed to be coming her way. She stood back up just as loud pounding erupted on her door.

"Come in!" she responded. If it was someone else with a mental disorder or more skeletons in their closet, she swore she would pack up shop right then and run far, far away, consequences be damned. The door was slammed open to reveal Karin, an exasperated look on her face. She strode in, dragging a very unwilling Suigetsu behind her by the shirt. The mist nin was holding one hand tightly, blood oozing from between his fingers to run down his wrist and drip on the floor. Sakura actually smiled. Finally, a nice, normal emergency. Karin released him when they reached the middle of the room before smacking him on the back of the head and walking out of the room.

Suigetsu glared at the redhead. "That wasn't very nice, Karin! I'm standing here bleeding, and you're hitting me!"

Karin just returned the hostile look. "Those who don't listen must feel. I told you to leave the sword alone. But you just couldn't resist, could you?" Without waiting for a reply, she slammed the door and left.

Sakura walked over to Suigetsu and led him to the small sink in the corner. After rinsing the excess blood off his fingers, she opened his hand to examine the wound. There were a half dozen large cuts on his palm, very deep and jagged. It looked like a wild animal had gotten a hold of his hand and had tried to rip it off. Immediately, she began healing the largest cut, which seemed to be responsible for most of the blood. Meeting his purple eyes as she worked, Sakura shook her head. "What happened, Suigetsu?"

Suigetsu looked away and remained silent for a moment. Then he looked at her and grinned. "Well, Kisame left Samehada unattended in the training room while he went to the kitchen for a drink...and I, uh...tried to see how well balanced it was."

"You mean you tried to steal it." Sakura chided.

"Anyway, when I grabbed the hilt, these blades came through the wrapping and cut my hand." Suigetsu finished.

"I see."

After a few minutes, Suigetsu's hand was healed, and after warning him to take it easy for the rest of the day, she sent him on his way. Looking at the clock on the wall, Sakura raised an eyebrow. It was far later than she expected. She missed her evening training session, and it was her turn to fix dinner tonight. So, after making sure everything was in order, she locked up the medical room and headed over to the kitchen. She had discovered that Hidan had a fondness for meat after Kisho made steaks the last time he cooked, so she thought she would try her hand at making spare ribs. No one was in the kitchen to hinder her, so she got started on it at once.

Evidently, Hidan wasn't the only one, because several hours later, there was nearly a crowd gathered as she set the platter of ribs on the table. Even Sasuke and Zetsu were there, a rare occurrence, since they normally avoided eating with everyone else. The meal was pleasant enough, even if there were several hostile glares passed along with the vegetables and rice. Afterward, Hidan hung around the kitchen while Sakura cleaned up. Demon bounced around on the floor, batting a leftover bone until it slid out of reach, then pouncing on it with a fierce hiss. Sakura nearly tripped over him several times, until Hidan finally caught him and he settled down on the immortal's shoulder. Finally finished, Sakura turned to find Hidan watching her with that hot stare that sent a tingle up her spine.

"What?" she asked, trying to prevent the smile that threatened to break out on her face. She failed.

"It's time for me to find Jashin's next sacrifice." he stated.

An unspoken 'Do you want to go?' hung in the air. Sakura dropped her head as her smile faded. There was no way she could do it. She didn't want Hidan to think she was rejecting him, but her conscience wouldn't allow her to stand by and watch someone die, either. A warm hand gripped her chin, tilting it up until she was looking into a pair of violet eyes. "I'll see you when I get back. I just figured I'd warn you so you didn't pass out in front of everyone." he said.

Grateful that he wasn't upset with her, Sakura gave him a light kiss before picking Demon up off his shoulder and heading off to their room. The kitten protested to being carried, but Sakura held on to him and he finally quieted down. Reaching the bedroom, she released him, and he scampered away, glaring at her when he reached the other side of the room. Grabbing a book, she stretched out on the bed and opened it, trying to keep her mind off of what she knew was coming. But as she lay there, her thoughts kept turning to Hidan. Where was he at? Was he close to beginning his ritual, or had he found his target yet? Reminding herself that she was just needlessly stressing herself, Sakura returned to her book. Her questions were answered twenty minutes later when she felt the familiar feeling of calm sweep over her as her connection to Hidan strengthened.

He was ready. Bracing herself for the pain to come, Sakura closed her eyes and took deep, steady breaths. She felt a light tingle go down her arm. A second later, white hot pain went ripping through her chest. She bit down on her lip to keep from screaming, but the sound was torn from her throat anyway. The feeling intensified, then crashed over her as a wave of ecstasy. Grabbing the sheets in her fist as her back arched, Sakura moaned loudly. Then everything went black as she slid into blissful oblivion.

Fifteen minutes later, she came to. Sliding her eyes open, a smile found her lips. Yes, she felt great, but that wasn't the reason for her happiness. Hidan had been as swift as possible with his ritual, ending it in one stroke. And she knew he had done it for her. Rolling onto her stomach, she buried her face in his pillow as she let her body bathe in the afterglow of feeling. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, taking in his masculine scent. Before she knew it her mind began to drift. It had been a long day, and she enjoyed doing absolutely nothing. She wasn't sure how long she had lain there, but before she knew it, Hidan had come into the room. Sakura drowsily lifted her head to watch him undress and slide into bed beside her. As he stretched out on his back, Sakura moved to lay her head on his chest.

Hidan wrapped an arm around Sakura and began rubbing her back. She was staring up at him, her sleepy green eyes making a fierce possessiveness roar through him. He wanted her to always look so peaceful. But of course, life never worked out the way you want it to. However, now that he was with her, whoever was unlucky enough to bother her would be totally fucked. He felt his mouth twist upward in a genuine smile as he watched her eyelids droop further and further down. She let out a tired sigh and moments later, she was fast asleep. Holding her a little tighter, Hidan quickly said his evening prayer and closed his eyes, ready to join her in slumber. Just as he was about to slip away, Demon landed on his head from out of nowhere. He started to swat the kitten away, but Sakura shifted as soon as he moved. Lowering his hand back to the mattress so he wouldn't wake her, he gave the cat his fiercest glare. Completely unruffled, the kitten began batting at a stray piece of silver hair that fell over Hidan's ear. A silent battle of swearing and dodging insistent paws commenced, until a half hour later, Demon decided he was finished, and stalked down the bed to curl up against Sakura's legs. Hidan sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Yep, sometimes life just decides to hate you.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Sakura adjusted her cloak one last time before stepping out the door behind Hidan. The air was very muggy, the low morning fog curling around the corners of the buildings, covering Amegakure in a shroud of moisture. It wasn't raining, for once, but the sun still refused to show its face, hiding behind billowy clouds of gray. Inhaling the rich scent of wet dirt and concrete, Sakura tried to calm her wild emotions as she walked behind her partner. She felt like a genin again, on her very first mission. She was nervous that she wasn't skilled enough to complete her task. She was worried she would somehow screw everything up. But at the same time, she was excited. After two grueling weeks of training, Madara had deemed her and Kisho ready to work in the field. Pein had announced that they would be starting their mission the next day. Their words still rang in her head.

"Your mission is simple." Madara had started. "Track down and capture the eight-tailed beast and its host. Bring them to me alive."

"How will we find him? He could be anywhere." Kisho asked.

"I believe Kisame has the answer to that." Pein stated.

Kisame grinned. "Even if he's a hundred miles away, my Samehada will be able to sense his chakra and track him down."

Sakura was pulled out of her reverie by the sight of the village gate. Kisame and Kisho were already there waiting, the latter looking bright-eyed and excited, a far cry from his usual sulky appearance. A small smile touched Sakura's lips. He must have been feeling as cooped up as she was. The shark nin beside him was waiting patiently, absently adjusting the bandaging on his sword as he leaned on the gatepost. When he spotted their approach, he straightened and replaced Samehada in its harness. A sudden smirk appeared on his face as he turned and looked at them.

"Yo, Zombie Chick. Hidan-san. It's about time you two got here. Another five minutes and we would have left without you. Are you ready?"

Sakura felt her face pinken even as she nodded. A week ago, Kisame had saddled her with her new nickname, and hadn't called her by her name since then. As strange as it sounded, she really didn't mind it since it tied in with Hidan's nickname. Hidan, however, hated it. She watched as his face went from relaxed to irritated. "Hey! Quit calling her that, Fish Boy, and let's go already."

With a nonchalant shrug, Kisame turned and started down the road, his partner automatically falling into step beside him. Hidan gave Sakura a pained look before following the Mist nin. The kunoichi buried her face into the high collar of her cloak to keep her smile from showing as she walked beside him. She knew he wasn't nearly as put out as he acted. But she had learned that that's how he kept people at a distance. After losing Yume, he was afraid to let people close to him. Which made her feel really special that he took the risk of letting her in. But then again, if it hadn't been for Jashin's intervention, he might not have given her a second glance. Her thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind by the appearance of a traveler on the road. He had a large pack on his back and was heading toward the village. As they passed by, he moved all the way to the other side of the road, giving them a wide berth. Sakura didn't miss the obvious fear in his eyes.

It was then that she noticed the sudden difference in her companions. While they were at the base, everyone was mostly relaxed and friendly. But now that they were out in the open, their demeanor had completely changed. Kisame walked in the lead confidently, looking large and imposing, like a predator that was begging for an excuse to attack. Even his chakra felt sinister as it emanated from him. Kisho strode beside him, his head up, looking around alertly. When he turned his head her way, his gold eyes gleamed with a feral light that reminded her of Demon just before he was about to pounce on something. His red and black hair hung heavily in his face, accentuating the wild look. She glanced over at Hidan to find that he wore a hard stare, and he looked as if he would go off with the slightest provocation. They were the very image of the fearful rumors that had spread around Konoha about the Akatsuki. And if she were to go strolling through the front gates with them looking like this, she was certain half her village would run screaming in fright, pissing their pants the whole way. And standing next to them, she probably looked about as dangerous as a teddy bear.

Wanting to at least look like she wasn't out of her league, Sakura lifted her chin and quickened her pace to walk evenly beside Hidan. Her cloak swished gently around her as she moved, revealing her bare knees and the top of her tall sandals. Hidan glanced over at her, the corners of his lips tugging upward, but he made no comment. After a half hour of steady travel, Sakura was beginning to get unnerved at the silence. She never realized until just then how much she appreciated Naruto and Sai's constant chattering and bickering. It really helped to pass the time while they were going somewhere, even if it did occasionally make her want to punch both of them through a wall somewhere. Digging around for something to say, she looked over at Hidan. "So, where are we going to look first?" she asked.

Hidan just shrugged, but Kisho glanced back at her and answered. "The Land of Lightning. According to the information Sasuke's team gave us, that's where he was seen last."

"Oh." Nothing more was offered, and the group fell silent once again.

They had climbed out of the valley housing the village and were nearing the training grounds when Kisame suddenly stopped. Everyone else followed suit, looking around for a potential threat. Reaching up, the Mist ninja grasped the handle of his sword and began drawing it from its harness. It was then that Sakura noticed the slight movements beneath the wrapping. It was small, barely more than a vibration. But as Kisame took the sword in hand, it became more pronounced. Stepping away from the group, he closed his eyes and swung Samehada in a circle over his head several times. After the fourth circuit, he released it, and the great sword went flying through the air before burying in the ground, leaning heavily to one side.

With a grin, Kisame walked over to it and pointed in the direction the sword was leaning. "He's this way. Let's go." he said as he pulled Samehada from the ground and strapped it to his back once more.

Kisho followed silently, but Hidan rolled his eyes. "I think he missed his calling as a fortune teller. If he breaks out the tea leaves, I'm outta here." he said as he stepped off the road after them.

Sakura gazed at the rough terrain as her group started across it. It didn't promise her an easy day. There was a scattering of grasses and low scrub brush, but for the most part, it was a mire of waterlogged earth, rutted by the near constant rain. But that didn't stop Kisame. As soon as everyone was moving, he immediately broke into a run, the others trailing after him. Picking up her pace, Sakura followed, a light sigh on her lips. With every step, mud threatened to breach the top of her sole, or suck at the bottom of her sandals, slowing her down. Praying that she wouldn't trip and fall on her face, she picked her way through the bog as best she could while still keeping up with Hidan. She had a feeling this was going to be a long day.

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Konan sat in Madara and Pein's office, folding origami cranes. She wasn't normally a nervous person, but today she couldn't help but fidget a little. As soon as Zetsu reported that Kisame and his group had left, she and Pein would head to Konoha to capture the nine-tails. If both missions were successful, the dream they had worked for for years would be realized. The world would finally be at peace, and she would be free to live out the rest of her life with the man she loved. It was just a shame that no matter how peaceful the world became, they would still have to live with the pain of loss. Her hand automatically reached up to touch the paper rose in her hair. Most people thought it was a mere decoration or an expression of her art. But it meant far more than that to her. It was a reminder of the day that had changed her life and set the path she now walked. It was the day that Yahiko conquered his fear out of hunger and desperation and approached three Konoha ninja to beg for food for them to eat. It was then that they met Jiraiya, who decided that three pathetic orphans could be something much greater. The day their destinies were changed forever.

A wave of guilt passed over her. If only she hadn't cried from the lack of food that morning. They would have never met their sensei and became ninja, and they wouldn't have been captured on that second fateful day many years later. Then Yahiko would still be with them, body and soul, and Nagato wouldn't be suffering so terribly every day. She couldn't stand watching him in so much pain, especially when she was the cause of it. She should have let those shinobi kill her, but she selfishly let her friends protect her, and they paid a high price for it, while she walked away practically unscathed. At least physically. She had loved Yahiko deeply, and she mourned his death to this day. Nagato knew how she felt, and he tried hard to make it up to her by protecting and caring for her without fail. Bonded by friendship and loss, their relationship eventually developed romantically. But as sweet as their love was, it scared her at the same time. She had complete faith in Nagato's abilities, after all these years, he had never lost a single battle. But sometimes she couldn't stop the feelings of terror that he would one day leave her too. Then she would truly be alone, and she didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

A knock on the door brought her back to the present, and Konan took a quick calming breath before stilling her shaky hands and giving the command to enter. The door creaked open and Zetsu entered, stooping slightly to keep from hitting his mandibles on the doorframe. When he reached the center of the room, he bowed low and waited for her to speak.

"Are they gone?" Konan asked flatly, all signs of her nervousness completely hidden from the world.

"**Yes. ** _They left at first light, heading for Lightning Country._" Zetsu replied.

"Good. Thank you, Zetsu-san. I'll inform Pein-sama immediately."

The plant ninja bowed again before silently leaving. Once she was alone, Konan formed a hand seal and watched in satisfaction as the paper cranes flapped their folded wings and, rising from the desk, flew out the open window into the damp air. Once they flew beyond her range of control, they would crumple and fall to the ground, harmless pieces of paper once more. Standing up, the blue-haired kunoichi faced the wall and quickly went through the hand seals that opened the door to Nagato's room. Pressing her palm to the wall, she felt it begin to give way, and soon she was peering into the darkness beyond. With practiced ease, her fingers found the switch on the wall and light flooded the room. Walking confidently inside, Konan came to stand before the machine that housed her lover and friend. As she stopped, she manifested her paper wings. Long and full, they flowed behind her, the tips dragging on the floor. He called her his angel, and it pleased him when she looked the part. And after everything he'd done for her, how could she deny him anything?

The soft rustle of the paper drew his attention, and he opened his eyes. Managing a small smile, his silver gaze locked onto her face. "Konan, is it time?" he asked her.

"Hai, Nagato-kun. Kisame's group left first thing this morning. Zetsu confirmed it just now." she replied.

As if in response to her voice, Pein's Deva path emerged from the room behind them. The other five filed out as well, but the Deva walked right up to her and cupped her cheek, lightly running his thumb over the ball below her lip. It had taken her a long time to think of him that way, because it was just Nagato's mind in Yahiko's body. A strange fusion of the two men she loved. But now thinking of him as Pein was as second nature to her as breathing, just another bend in their twisted relationship. Just like the fact that this was the only path that Nagato allowed to touch her, even though all six were extensions of himself. It was the Deva path that had taken her innocence, since Nagato was forever bound to his machine and couldn't do it himself, no matter how much they both wanted it. Afterward, he had pierced her lower lip as an outward physical sign of their connection. More than a mere decoration, the small black ball was a tiny chakra receiver as well. It allowed Nagato to reach out and feel her, no matter how far away she was.

Her nerves suddenly returning with a vengeance, Konan stepped back, and lifting her paper wings, rose into the air. Right now she needed more than a stand-in to comfort her. She needed to feel Nagato himself. With a couple lazy flaps, she was softly carried to him, lightly landing on the dais next to him. He turned his head and looked at her, curiosity on his prematurely aged face. Moving slowly, Konan swept his heavy fall of bright red hair away from his face and cupped his cheek with her other hand. She could easily feel his sharp cheekbone pressing into her palm, but it hardly bothered her. He had been this way for so long now, she barely remembered the round-faced boy he had once been. Letting her paper wings lift and extend, they surrounded them as she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. Her kiss was slow and reverent, an expression of her love and gratitude. But more than that, she needed the comfort of physically touching him. He let her linger as long as she wanted, and when she pulled back, he turned his head away, the pain and want shining in his eyes for a moment before his hair fell back into his face, hiding his expression from her.

Stepping back, Konan let herself float backwards, until she was once again standing on the ground. Dropping her head, she sighed. Once again, her selfishness had caused him pain. "Forgive me, Nagato-kun. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Pein stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. His mouth eagerly found the bare skin of her neck, the cool metal of his piercings contrasting with his warm lips, sending a shiver up her spine. He kissed her until she relaxed into him, her eyelids drooping downward under his touch. "You have nothing to apologize for." he whispered. "Angels and gods are meant to comfort each other. It's the only thing that makes existence bearable." Giving her a final gentle squeeze, Pein released her, letting his fingers trail over her abdomen as he did so. Grasping her shoulders, he turned her to face him. "Now, get everything ready. We have a mission to complete."

Nodding, Konan turned and walked out of the room, her wings melting back into her body, seven sets of piercing eyes following her every movement.

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Sakura sank to her knees in the gathering darkness, exhausted. Never had she traveled so far in one day. They had moved at a constant pace all day, never stopping for more than five minutes. They had eaten on the go, which she was accustomed to, but not at the speed she did today. Shifting to sit more comfortably on the ground, she stretched her protesting legs out in front of her. She was suddenly grateful for Kisame's tough conditioning. If it weren't for that, she was quite sure she wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow, much less run. Kisho plopped down across from her, looking just as tired as she was. Kisame and Hidan, however, looked like they had barely broken a sweat. Kisame was setting up a perimeter for the night, and Hidan had moved a little ways away to pray.

Taking in her surroundings before it was too dark to see, Sakura tried to gauge where she was. They were still heading towards Lightning. By late afternoon, the group had started through the foothills and ravines that led up to the treacherous landscape that was one of that country's most notable features. In fact, they had decided to camp at the open end of a particularly craggy ravine. Already she could make out the slight rumbling sound of the constantly disturbed sky, and had seen several dark scorch marks on the larger boulders right before they stopped. So, she figured they would cross the border in the morning.

Glancing back to her companions, Sakura noticed that Kisho looked rather disturbed. His head was up, and he kept turning his head this way and that, as if expecting an enemy to jump out of the bushes at any second. Leaning forward, Sakura touched his knee to get his attention. "Kisho, what's wrong?"

"Do you not hear that sound?" he whispered.

Sakura gave him a reassuring smile. "You've never been to Kumogakure, have you?" she asked. Kisho shook his head. "Well, don't worry, that's just thunder."

"Thunder? But it hasn't stopped in over five minutes." It was true that at this distance, the noises didn't sound like actual thunder. The individual claps echoed through the landscape and cascaded together, becoming muddled and resembling something closer to the roar of the sea rather than anything that might come from above.

"Yeah, it doesn't stop. Air masses are constantly moving overhead, being pulled towards the ocean. But the mountains are so tall and spread out in Lightning, that the air is slowed down considerably as it tries to find a way around. The next air mass behind it tries to push it faster than possible, leaving the sky in a state of flux all the time. Which results in constant thunder and lightning here. And the backed up air mass sits right over Amegakure, which is why it rains there all the time." she explained.

Kisame gave her an impressed whistle as he sat down with them. "Damn, Zombie Chick, we're going to have to stop buying you so many books."

Sakura felt her face heat up at his implied compliment. She was saved by the reappearance of Hidan, who had finished his prayer and came to stand at her side. His eyes roamed over the choice of sleeping places with disapproval, then he turned and looked at Kisho. "Hey, Kisho, you use earth jutsu or some shit, don't you?" The redhead nodded, but looked a little uncomfortable at suddenly being the center of attention. Hidan ignored it and continued with a glare. "Well, dumbass, why aren't you making us some kind of shelter for the night? I don't know about you, but I'm not sleeping outside on the ground like a fucking dog."

Kisho's eyes began glowing with anger and he jumped to his feet. "I know your memory isn't what it used to be, old man, so let me refresh it for you. I'm not your bitch to bring to heel! And since I'm such a dumbass, you'll have to build your own damn shelter, since I'm obviously not smart enough to do it for you!"

In a flash, Hidan pulled his scythe from his back and started forward. "You just signed your death warrant, you little cock-sucker!"

Sakura shook off her sudden shock and jumped to her feet, ready to pull Hidan back. It was amazing how quickly they had lost their tempers. Before she could intervene, Kisame shouldered his way between the two, forcing them both back. "Knock it off, both of you! If a fight breaks out now, every Cloud nin on the border will be after us before you can say 'bingo book'. You can settle this after our mission is complete."

Hidan frowned, but backed off. Putting his scythe away, he walked over to Sakura. "Whatever. That little shit isn't worth the effort anyway."

Turning to look at his partner, Kisame continued. "Hidan's right, Kisho. We can't have a fire and we'll need some sort of protection from the lightning. But build two shelters instead of one, so I know you guys aren't trying to throttle each other in your sleep. And if you have a problem with me telling you to do it, you can take it up with Pein-sama when we get back."

Without answering, Kisho walked over to one side of the ravine, formed a set of hand seals and lightly touched the rock wall in front of him. His chakra flared, and the rock began separating, pulling back until there was a hole large enough to fit a two-man tent inside. After he was finished, he walked to the opposite side of the ravine and repeated the process. That done, he pulled out his bedroll, crawled inside and lay down, facing the wall and using his arm as a pillow. With a shrug, Kisame sat down in front of the entrance, Samehada resting across his lap. "You two get some sleep. I'll keep watch tonight." he said.

Too tired to argue about taking turns staying awake, Sakura nodded and headed toward the empty shelter. Hidan paused before reluctantly following her, looking half uncertain, and half angry. Crawling in, Sakura spread out her bedroll and lay down. She waited for Hidan to join her, and when he didn't after a few minutes, she lifted her head and looked out the entrance. He had stopped just outside, and if she didn't know better, she would have sworn she saw a hint of fear in his violet eyes. Leaning up on her elbows, Sakura patted the ground beside her. "Are you coming?"

"It's not big enough."

Sakura frowned and looked at the space beside her. There was more than enough room for him to easily lay down. "Sure it is."

Kisame's laughter echoed over to them. "No fooling around over there, we have work tomorrow!" Hidan flipped Kisame off, which only made him laugh harder.

Sakura was still watching him expectantly, concern starting to steal its way onto her face. Not wanting to press the issue and look like a weak coward, Hidan unhooked his scythe and set it inside, then forced himself to crawl in beside her and lay down. Cursing the wave of nausea that hit him, he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the feel of the stone walls around him. His chest felt tight and tiny beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. Sakura snuggled close to him, eyes closed, and he took a deep breath in relief. Focusing on her beside him took the edge off of his anxiety, so he concentrated on the rhythm of her breathing and her subconscious movements as she quickly fell asleep. After a very long time, he finally relaxed enough to let his mind drift and he slipped into a disturbed slumber.

Nearing dawn, a loud clap of thunder sounded, startling Hidan out of his sleep. His eyes popped open and the darkness of the cave pressed down on him, making it hard to breathe. Sakura had rolled away from him during the night, and was lying on her stomach against the opposite wall. Panic welled up in his chest again, and his heart started pounding. It felt just like being trapped in the pit again, with nothing but the blackness and heavy rocks around him. The need to escape overrode his reason, and he scrambled outside quickly. As soon as he stood and the cool air hit his lungs, he began to calm. Sucking it in, he wiped his hand across his forehead, removing the sheen of sweat that had settled there. After a few more steadying breaths, he looked around to see if anyone had witnessed his embarrassing moment of weakness. Kisho was still asleep in the other shelter, his black sandaled feet sticking out from under his blanket. Kisame was still sitting in the entrance, eyes closed, one hand resting lightly on Samehada's hilt. He couldn't tell if the shark nin had fallen asleep, or was just meditating.

He was about to say something sarcastic to him when another clap of thunder sounded and his attention was drawn to the other end of the ravine. Hidan's eyes widened. It felt like a massive wave of chakra was coming their way, and fast. Looking back at Kisame, he was surprised to see that he still hadn't awakened, but Samehada was going wild. The sword was practically writhing beneath the white bandages that contained it. The chakra was nearly on them, moving at an impossible speed. Hidan ran a hand through his hair before grabbing his scythe from just inside the cave. Jogging over to Kisame, he gave him a sharp kick in the knee. "Wake the fuck up, Lazy-ass! We've got company!"

Kisame came awake with a grunt. He blinked his eyes sleepily for only an instant. As soon as he looked down at Samehada, he was on his feet, hefting the sword to his shoulder in a practiced swing. Turning toward the chakra bearing down on them, they watched as a cloud of dust swept towards them, growing bigger by the second. It almost looked like a brown fog rolling in, distorted by the low light of early dawn. It was then that they noticed the four lesser chakras behind the larger one, obviously in pursuit. The dust cloud reached them and the chakra pulled to a sudden halt. Neither shinobi could see anything for a moment, but as the dust cleared, they could make out a dark blur shaped like a man. A deep, melodic voice reached their ears, followed by a dark laugh.

"Yo, my shinobi brothers. You Akatsuki mothers. Can't stay and play, the calvary's on its way. No need ta pout, but this Killer Bee's out. Peace, ya fools!" Adjusting his sunglasses with a large grin, the eight-tails' jinchuriki took off again, jumping to the lip of the ravine before disappearing out of sight.

Kisame and Hidan just stared at each other a moment in shock. Then Kisame smirked. "You and Sakura take care of the interference. We're not supposed to kill him after all. I'll take the eight-tails." He turned and gave Kisho's foot a hard kick. "KISHO! Time to move your ass, boy!" And without waiting for his partner to catch up, he took off, jumping to where Killer Bee had landed to follow him.

Hidan hooked his scythe to its cable and strolled to the middle of the ravine as Kisho scrambled up and ran after Kisame, the dust still hanging in the air drawing after him like a magnet. Sakura was also awakened by the noise, and it was only moments before she joined him. Squinting her eyes to adjust to seeing in the grayness, she peered ahead at the oncoming shinobi. "Hidan, what's going on?"

He grinned, excitement sparkling in his violet eyes. Pulling his rosary off his neck, he kissed it and closed his eyes. "Praise Jashin, my dear. The shit just hit the fan and we're standing right in the way." Opening his eyes a moment later, he replaced the rosary and, swinging his scythe in a wide arc over his head, waited on the four approaching chakra signatures to slow. Dawn broke then, spilling light across the land, revealing a cell of Kumo's ANBU. And they looked less than pleased to see two Akatsuki standing between them and their goal.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The morning light bathed the surrounding earth in tones of orange and gold. As the sky brightened, it revealed a blue so light, no artist could match it on canvas. Fluffy white clouds raced by overhead, pulled towards the mountains on their way to the sea. But as beautiful as the terrain was, malice hung in the dusty air so thick you could choke on it. It was deathly quiet as four dark clothed figures in a barren ravine faced off against two ninja cloaked in the most hated organization of the shinobi world, the Akatsuki. A flash of pink and green, swallowed by black and red, the most petite of the ninja present, pulled her gloves from her pocket as she stilled by her partner.

Sakura assessed her opponents as they came to a halt several yards away. There were two kunoichi, their masks shaped like a frog and some sort of lizard. They were both taller than Sakura, and thin. The frog's light brown hair was up in a bun, a long blue ribbon wrapped around it, the ends trailing behind her as she moved. The morning sunlight gleamed off a pair of senbon tucked neatly beneath. The lizard's was cropped short and stark white. She carried two small scrolls on her hip, and a bow and arrows on her back. The two male shinobi wore a ram and hawk mask. The hawk seemed to be the leader of the group, as he stood slightly ahead of everyone else. The ram was a stout man, not overly tall, but his chest was broad and the muscle on his arms rivaled that of Kisame's. They were all dressed in the standard ANBU vests with long pants and black sandals. Drawing his sword, the hawk stepped forward and addressed them.

"Members of Akatsuki. By order of the Raikage, you are to be captured or killed on sight for crimes committed against Kumogakure and Lord Killer Bee. However, if you step aside and let us continue on, I might be willing to ignore your presence here. Aiding Lord Killer Bee is a higher priority than fighting you." he said.

Hidan ground his teeth at the ANBU's dismissive tone. As if they could be swept away like unwanted dust. Just then, a shout sounded in the distance behind him, and Hidan could feel two large chakras flare. Kisame must have already engaged the eight-tails. The ANBU shifted restlessly, eager to get moving. Narrowing his eyes, Hidan lifted his hand and pointed at the Cloud ninja. "You pussies aren't going anywhere. And as for killing us..." Normally, he would have said 'If you could, I'd let you.' But as he glanced over at Sakura, methodically pulling on her gloves while never taking her eyes off the ninja, he suddenly found that those words didn't quite ring true anymore. So he turned back to the Hawk ANBU and improvised. "Good luck with that shit."

"Very well. Since we are in a hurry, we will grant you a swift death, not that you deserve it." the hawk replied, lifting two fingers into the air.

At his silent command, the ANBU separated, the kunoichi falling back and forming hand seals while the ram charged forward, heading straight for them. The hawk stood in the center, watching them closely. Sakura dropped into a defensive crouch as Hidan let out a joyous cry and rushed forward to meet the ram, swinging his scythe wildly in front of him. Letting him go, she kept her focus on the kunoichi. The lizard finished her jutsu first and disappeared in a puff of smoke. She emerged seconds later, mounted on a stocky red horse. Breaking into a dead run, they headed straight for Sakura, the kunoichi notching an arrow into her recurved bow and taking aim. When she was within range, she released it, and quickly brought her free hand up to concentrate her chakra. The arrow suddenly multiplied into a large spray of arrows, crackling blue with lightning chakra. Jumping back as the first arrows landed, Sakura had to retreat twice more to avoid getting hit. The arrows buried in the ground, the tips exploding with a loud pop. Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura realized that she was now quite far from Hidan. With two enemies apiece, they were virtually fighting on their own.

As she charged past, the lizard threw a handful of shuriken before slowing her horse and bringing it around for another pass. Dodging again, Sakura looked for a weakness while she waited for her opponent to get turned. She had to admit it, she was impressed. She had never seen a ninja that combined ninjutsu with samurai techniques. Did Kumo have a samurai trainer, or was this girl special because she had studied both? She didn't have long to ponder it, because the lizard had notched another arrow and was heading her way, the horse's hooves raising a cloud of dust as he pounded towards her. Since Sakura was mainly a short range fighter and the lizard seemed to favor long range, she needed to bring her in closer. She wouldn't be nearly as big a threat without her horse. Letting chakra gather in her fists, she waited for the kunoichi to close in on her. Just as she released her second arrow, Sakura slammed her fist into the ground before jumping back out of range. A satisfying crack was heard as the earth split open, creating a wide fissure along the bottom of the ravine. As she hoped, the lizard reached it before she could dodge, and with a loud squeal, the horse stumbled and fell, disappearing in a puff of smoke as the kunoichi was thrown free of the gap to land on her feet several yards away.

Grabbing the second scroll from her side, the lizard opened it and slid her hand under her mask to bite her thumb. "You'll pay for that!" she yelled at Sakura as the scroll rolled open. Bringing her hand down on the scroll, the ANBU disappeared in a puff of smoke. When Sakura's vision cleared, the lizard was nowhere to be seen. On guard, she quickly turned her head to look for her, but found nothing. She could still feel the other girl's chakra, so she knew she hadn't left the immediate area.

A sudden whistling noise made her jump to the side reflexively, but it was too late. An arrow pierced her shoulder, burying through flesh all the way to the bone. It instantly began bleeding, a trail of red running down the inside of her sleeve onto her bare arm. The pain hit her and Sakura cried out, clutching the wounded shoulder. An electrical current surged around the arrow, burning and blistering her skin as a loud popping noise sounded in her ear. The smell of charred flesh turned her stomach, and Sakura grimaced. Laughter rang out from somewhere above her, and as she looked up, Sakura's eyes widened. The lizard ANBU was hovering directly above her, sitting confidently on the back of a large, blue chakra dragon. It's long body undulated as it swam in the air, lightly crackling with lightning energy as it moved. The kunoichi raised her bow and drew another arrow. Oh, hell. This could really be a problem.

Grabbing the wood embedded in her skin, Sakura gritted her teeth and pulled with all her might. She could fight injured, but not with the arrowhead constantly aggravating the wound. The arrow gave with a sickening sound, causing more blood to pour from her shoulder. Sakura threw it away and jumped back just as another volley of arrows rained down on her. She hastily sealed the wound on her shoulder, and looked around for some way to get on even ground with the lizard. While she was in the ravine, she was a sitting duck. An outcropping of rock followed by several small ledges gave her an answer. She could jump up onto the open ground from there and be able to fight with less disadvantage. Just as she started for it, a blur of movement sped by, and chakra flared right in front her. She suddenly found herself staring into the mask of the frog ANBU. She had her hair down now, the ribbon held in one hand, and in the other, one of her senbon, the tip coated in green poison.

"Going somewhere?" she asked sweetly.

Sakura glanced up as the dragon moved towards her back, maneuvering in for another shot. Then she glanced back at the frog. Things were about to get really interesting. She had to keep from getting sandwiched between them. The frog quickly attacked, throwing her senbon right at Sakura. As close as she was to her, Sakura barely managed to dodge it by leaning to the right. The needle pierced her sleeve, the poison on the tip grazing her skin, making her arm burn and sting as it tried to soak in. Quickly pushing it out with her chakra, she went to jump further away, and found that her legs couldn't move. Sakura glanced down to find that the ribbon the frog had had in her hand was now wrapped around her ankles like shackles, the chakra coursing through it holding her in place. Damn, she was quick. Sakura never even saw her move the second time. The frog jumped back just as another volley of arrows began hitting the ground, getting closer and closer with each loud pop. Reaching down, Sakura grabbed the ribbon and began pulling hard, pouring chakra to her muscles to break the frog's hold on her.

It didn't budge. Gritting her teeth, Sakura tried again. The arrows were upon her now, and as Sakura tried to dodge one that would have pierced her skull, she lost her balance and toppled backwards, the arrow hitting her shin instead. It crackled and popped, searing her skin as it ripped into her leg. Sakura held her breath, waiting for the pain to register in her brain. Before she had a chance to realize what was happening, or why, a sharp stab of pain ripped through her chest. If she hadn't already been on the ground, she would have collapsed on the spot. She screamed as it crested, then crashed over her as a wave of pleasure. Swearing at Hidan as her head grew light and her body turned to jelly, Sakura fought to hold on to consciousness, even though she knew it was hopeless. The last thing she saw before everything went white was the faces of her opponents, closing in on her with their weapons drawn and ready.

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Just as the ram reached Hidan, he jumped into the air, coming down on him in a bone-shattering tackle. But even as the immortal took the brunt of the attack and flew back to land on the ground, his scythe did its job. A deep slice was made across the ram's ribs as he landed on Hidan, blood spraying over both of them. When his head stopped spinning from the backwards motion, Hidan looked up to see the ram still on top of him, a kunai in his raised hand. He just stared up at him, his eyes hard and unflinching as the ram stabbed him right in the heart. He said nothing, just waited until the ANBU realized that he wasn't affected by the blow. After a long moment, the ram jerked back, obviously in shock, his fingers trembling slightly. Hidan took the opportunity to kick the other shinobi off of him before rolling to his feet. Pulling the kunai out of his chest, he threw it to the ground.

"That fucking hurt, asshole! I hope you're happy now, because you're about to find out exactly what it feels like!" Hidan yelled.

"What happened? Did you miss ?" the hawk called to his teammate.

"Of course I didn't miss! You know better than that, Sora-san!" the ram replied as he crouched down again.

Using the blood dripping heavily from his chest, Hidan began drawing Jashin's circle on the ground. It was nearly finished when the ram came at him, running full force. Hidan simply dodged him, completely unruffled. Finishing the circle, he pulled out his pike and turned to face the ram. Lifting his scythe in the other hand, he ran his tongue along the cool metal of the blade, licking off the ram's blood. As soon as the metallic taste hit him, he felt Jashin's curse take effect. The ram came to a halt a few feet from him, suddenly wary as Hidan's skin darkened to black, his white markings becoming prominent. His leg began hurting, but he ignored it, figuring that it was injured when the ram jumped on him. With a dry laugh, Hidan spun his pike in his hand and braced himself.

"If you want to kill someone, you have to do it like this!" he yelled as he plunged the pike through his chest.

The ram had started forward again, but fell to his knees moments later when the pain hit both of them. Blood spurted from his chest, and he put a large hand to the wound in disbelief. When he pulled it back, covered in blood, he screamed. Laughing, Hidan gave the pike a vicious yank and the ram fell forward, landing on the ground with a loud thud. His head grew light as the pain intensified, and he heard a second scream. It took him a moment to realize that it was Sakura. He turned his head to look at her, but it was too late to help her. He was already falling backwards as the rush of the ram's death swept over him. The last thing he saw before he passed out was her, lying on the ground, the two kunoichi she was fighting moving in for the kill. It was a good thing they were both immortal, because the sight of her in danger while he was helpless to do anything about it would have killed him otherwise. Not to mention the fact that when she got a hold of him later, he would probably take a cussing for this that would be fatal to most people.

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As soon as Sakura regained consciousness, she forced herself not to move or open her eyes. She felt fine except for a stinging sensation in her chest. She didn't hear anyone nearby, and the kunoichi's chakras were some distance away, so she cautiously cracked an eyelid. Looking down her body as best she could without moving her head, she discovered the hilt of a kunai sticking out of her heart. Her opponents must have wanted to be sure she was dead after her collapse. Further down, she noticed that her feet were free. The frog ANBU must have retrieved her ribbon after stabbing her. Voices reached her ears, so she slowly rolled her head in that direction and fully opened her eyes to see where everyone was. The lizard was still on her chakra dragon, hovering above her companions. The frog kunoichi and the hawk ANBU were standing around two bodies on the ground. One she could tell was Hidan, and the other must have been the ninja with the ram mask.

They had their backs to her, so she slowly reached up and pulled the kunai from her chest. It hurt, but she bit down on her lip to keep silent, and as soon as the weapon was dislodged, the stinging eased as her body began healing itself. The arrow in her leg came next, which was more shallow and hurt a whole lot less than the one that had injured her shoulder. Keeping an eye on the Cloud nins, she carefully produced a shadow clone to take her place on the ground and rolled towards the outcropping of rock she had seen earlier. If she suddenly got up and the other kunoichi turned their heads at the wrong moment, she would give away the only advantage she had right now. They obviously thought she was dead.

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"Were you victorious?" the unfamiliar voice asked.

...Of course he was, did he not see the body on the ground?

"Hai, but Sora-sama, something wasn't right." a soft feminine voice replied.

Hidan had to agree with her, something wasn't right. The pike in his chest was hurting more than normal, and his leg was stinging as if something had been driven through the skin. Realizing that he was still surrounded as he came to, he didn't move, instead feigning death as he listened to them talk.

"Explain." the first voice commanded. That must be the hawk ANBU, he was the only male there other than Hidan.

"We put a kunai through her heart to make sure she was dead, but that's not what killed her. After we managed to bind her, she just collapsed on the ground screaming. She stopped breathing a moment later." the kunoichi said.

...Sakura. That's right, she had been connected to him while he was performing his ritual. She had screamed as he was passing out. So if they had injured her while she was connected to him, he would feel it too. He was still lying within the circle, which meant that the unchecked pain he was feeling now was her injuries.

"What happened to him?" a second, stronger female voice said.

Hidan started to embrace the pain for her, but before he could, it began lessening on its own. The stinging in his chest had stopped first, followed shortly by the pain in his leg. She must be healing herself.

"He did it to himself. But it doesn't make any sense. I don't know what kind of jutsu he used, but he managed to kill Ess when he stabbed himself. But why would he sacrifice himself so early in the fight? Surely he knew the fight would be lost if he left the girl outnumbered three to one." the hawk said.

Hidan snorted to himself. Sakura could hold her own against hundreds of retards like these guys and survive.

The softer voice answered. "I don't know, unless he's not really..."

Well, rest time was over. Popping his eyes open, Hidan grinned up at the Cloud ninja staring down at him. "Boo!" he screamed.

The ninja jumped back in shock, and Hidan pulled the pike from his chest before springing to his feet. Glancing over to where Sakura had been, he was surprised to see her still lying there, a kunai in her chest and an arrow sticking out of her leg. That wasn't right, he knew for a fact that her injuries had been healed already. Then a slight movement on the ridge above them caught his attention. A mere hint of pink and black, and he understood. She had used a clone to replace her body, and since they had the same chakra signature, the Cloud nins had no idea she was on the move. She was slowly making her way behind them. All he had to do was buy her a little time, then she could ambush them from the back. Bending down, he retrieved the pike and his scythe. When he stood back up, he was still grinning, but his violet eyes were hard as stones.

"So, which of you fucktards wants to meet Jashin-sama next?"

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The ANBU seemed deep in discussion about something, and hadn't moved yet. Sakura took one last glance to make sure they hadn't seen her before jumping to the outcropping and then to the top of the ravine. As soon as she landed, she flattened herself to the ground. She started crawling forward, along the edge, to get closer to the kunoichi on the dragon. If the woman stayed where she was, Sakura could jump from the edge of the ravine and land right on top of her. Only a few more yards of crawling and she would be there. Peering over the edge again, she saw that Hidan was on his feet, putting the Cloud ANBU on the defensive. That was good. If he could keep their attention off of her, it would make her chances of success that much greater.

Suddenly, a far off explosion sounded and the ground beneath her started shaking. The vibrations grew more violent until rocks started dropping off the side of the ravine. Was it an earthquake? Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura's eyes widened. There was a huge wave of water heading right for them. Kisame had warned her during training that if he ever dispelled one of his bigger water jutsu in a hurry, it would level the terrain around him. That must have been what happened, and if she and Hidan didn't get out of there soon, there was no telling how far the oncoming wave would carry them, if they weren't crushed in the close confines of the narrow valley. There was a shout from below her as water started pouring into the near side of the ravine, the main wave only yards from entering. Sakura looked back down to see the frog and hawk ninja picking up the body of the ram ANBU and preparing to leave in a hurry. The lizard guided her dragon lower, apparently ready to take the body. Hidan was attacking the hawk, but the other shinobi was dodging him, apparently more concerned with getting the kunoichi away from the water than fighting. If she didn't act right now, she would miss her chance. And as Pein had told her before they left, failure wasn't an option. Climbing to her feet, Sakura ran the last of the distance, letting chakra build in her arms as she did so.

Praying that she didn't miss and get flattened on the rocky floor below her, Sakura took a deep breath as she reached the edge and jumped. She hovered a moment in the air, her heart racing in exhilaration, then gravity kicked in and she began to fall, the bottom of her cloak flaring out behind her as the wind caught it. She pushed one last burst of chakra to her fists as she drew back her arm to aim. The kunoichi must have instinctively felt her approach, because she looked back over her shoulder just in time to see Sakura coming down on her. But it was far too late. The impact was nearly silent until they hit the ground. The loud thud of flesh meeting stone was underscored with the sound of breaking ribs. Sakura had caught her perfectly, just below her shoulders, knocking the wind out of her before the force of their landing dispelled the chakra dragon, leaving the lizard unconscious.

Breathing hard from the exertion, Sakura climbed unsteadily to her feet. She glanced down long enough to make sure the kunoichi beneath her was still alive, then at the wall of water coming straight at them with a deafening roar. Estimating that she had only seconds left, Sakura made a dash for Hidan, who was several yards away. She had crossed over half the distance when an enraged scream made her pause and she was tackled from the side. The frog ANBU rolled with her, and pinning her down, raised her second senbon, aiming right for Sakura's face. Sakura ignored her, more concerned with the tidal wave about to hit them. Glancing frantically at Hidan, she saw that he had buried his scythe into the ground, and was running towards her, the cable connected to his weapon unwinding as he ran. But he would never make it in time. Knocking the frog off balance, Sakura rolled onto her stomach, took a deep breath and punched the ground as hard as she could. The earth collapsed beneath her just as the water slammed into her.

Pain erupted in Sakura's back as she was pinned against the far side of the crater. The pressure of the water flowing over her tore at her skin and clothes, threatening to knock the air from her lungs. Large rocks and other debris carried away in the water washed over her, some bumping her hard enough to tear long gashes in her cloak and skin before they continued their journey. The current threatened to pull her up and away with them, but she clung to the solid ground behind and beneath her, pouring chakra to her arms in an effort to stay put. Her muscles began burning, and she prayed her strength held out longer than the water.

Luckily, it didn't last long. The wave passed almost as quickly as it came, leaving the ravine a muddy, boulder-strewn mess after only a few minutes. As soon as the pressure on her lessened, Sakura fought to stand up. Breaching the surface of the water, she took a gasping breath as she rose. The water was already down to waist high, and receding quickly. Soaked, she wiped away the water streaming down her face and looked to see if Hidan had managed to make it through. The water was barely ankle deep by now, and Sakura frowned when she didn't see any movement. The spot where he had his scythe buried in the ground was empty. It must have come dislodged at some point, sweeping him further down the ravine. Turning that way, she climbed out of the shallow crater she had made and started walking.

As she looked for Hidan, she healed the largest of the fresh cuts, which was on her upper arm. Her shoulder had mostly healed by now, nothing more than a patch of irritated skin. But even with her healing ability, she was in sorry shape. She had used a good deal of her chakra in the fight, which left her tired. Water dripped down her bare legs into her sandals, making a squelching noise as she walked. Her torn cloak was waterlogged, and her muddy pink hair was plastered to her head. Her skin stung where the water had blasted her. This was definitely not one of the outcomes she had predicted for this fight.

Sakura spotted what didn't really look like a rock ahead of her. As she neared, she picked up a faint chakra signature. It was the frog kunoichi. She had the body of the lizard ANBU with her. Evidently, she had chosen to stay with her teammate rather than hang on to something. She had been swept along with the water until a large boulder caught them. She was apparently injured in the impact, because she didn't stand up to fight or try to hide. Approaching carefully, Sakura noticed that the lizard kunoichi wasn't breathing. A wave of sadness passed over her as she realized that she was dead. The frog pulled a kunai from underneath her vest and threw it at Sakura, who dodged it easily.

"Stay back!" the frog yelled at her, pain obvious in her voice.

Putting up her hands in a placating gesture, Sakura crouched down. She couldn't assess the damage from here, but she was fairly sure the kunoichi's back was broken. She would die here without some kind of help. "It's over, and you've lost. I know you're hurt. I'm a medic nin. Will you at least let me heal you enough to make it back to your village?" Sakura asked.

The frog was silent for a long moment, clutching her blue ribbon to her vest. Then she shook her head. When she spoke, her voice was strong and assured. "Two of my teammates gave their lives in service to my village today. I refuse to dishonor them by accepting help from the enemy they fought against. I can do no less but join them."

Sakura started to protest, but couldn't find anything to say. It was the best a shinobi could ask for, dying honorably for the village. If Sakura forced her to comply, which she could easily do, the kunoichi would probably be in disgrace for the rest of her life. Nodding, Sakura stood back up just in time to see the hawk ANBU limping towards them. His clothes were torn and bloody, and his sword was gone. Coming to a halt, he straightened before dropping to a defensive crouch. Sakura thought he was going to attack her, but then she realized that he wasn't even looking at her. He was focused on something behind her. Turning her head, she was relieved to see Hidan stalking towards them. Other than the fact that his cloak was practically shredded, he seemed fine. Walking over to her, he lifted his scythe to his shoulder and sighed.

"I'm going to kill that glorified piece of sushi the next time I see him. He just had to go and fuck everything up. Jashin-sama's going to be pissed that his sacrifices were ruined, and he's going to blame me! Sakura, go see if he's been defeated yet, and tell him I said he sucks!"

"But..." she started to protest. It just seemed wrong for her to leave things as they were.

"Don't worry, I've got this. Go ahead."

Sakura silently turned to leave, but was stopped by the sound of the frog's voice. "Sakura, wait!" she cried out. Pausing and looking at her, she expected the girl to change her mind about being healed, but instead, the other kunoichi had her hand extended, the blue ribbon dangling in her grasp. "If you ever were a decent ninja, please make sure the Raikage gets this. He'll know who it's from."

Nodding, Sakura accepted it. Without a second glance, she took off, heading in the direction the water had come from. It was easy to follow, the path of destruction it had left behind was immense. It was a good thing too, because as she ran, hot tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision before making their way down her cheeks. Chakra flared wildly behind her right before a pained scream ripped through the air. Without looking back, she pushed herself faster, trying to outrun the truth searing a path across her heart. In a couple of days, four names would be added to whatever memorial Kumogakure had for their fallen ninja. Four names she would never know would be remembered in their home village as heroes who had chosen to die honorably in combat. She clutched the ribbon in her hand as jealousy tried to fill the emptiness inside. She had planned on going out like that. But hers was a choice that had been ripped from her by circumstance and fate. Now her name would never be added to those on the memorial in Konoha. She would spend the endless days of her life known as only one thing. A traitor.

Suddenly, Tsunade's voice filled her head, her words from lessons past echoing in her head. "Most ninja die in battle, Sakura. It's a fact you knew when you joined the Academy. If you can't deal with that fact and move on, the door is that way." she had said after Sakura had tearfully delivered her report following her mission to assist in the completion of the Naruto bridge.

After a particularly bad taijutsu training session, she had been sitting on the ground, punching the earth in frustration because she had failed to generate enough chakra to bust the boulder she had been working on. Tsunade had simply walked up to her, folded her arms over her chest and glared. "Sakura, knock it off! If you beat yourself up every time something goes wrong, your doubt will be the death of you. Mental strength is just as important as physical strength in battle. Now get up. Any apprentice I train learns to lose on their feet, not wallowing in the dirt like a pig." After that, Tsunade turned and left the training grounds. Sakura stood to follow her, then froze as she glanced down at where she had been sitting. The ground that she had been punching was cracked, a small crater starting to form from the force of her blows. She had been so happy with that accomplishment, she forgot how mad she had been at herself moments earlier, running to the flower shop right away to brag to Ino about what she had done.

Drawing strength from her shishou's words, Sakura dried her eyes, pushed her dark thoughts to the back of her mind and continued onward. Tucking the frog's ribbon into her weapons pouch, she concentrated on the path ahead of her. She had traveled about a mile while she had been out of it, and now she could hear the sounds of battle directly ahead. Chakra flared sporadically, and as she topped a rise, she could see Kisho and two of his stone lions engaged with a large, dark skinned man holding several swords. Kisame was standing off to the side, so Sakura made her way to him. When he sensed her approach, he turned and smirked at her. "Hey, Zombie Chick! I'm glad you're here, Cat Boy will probably need some help once he gets finished playing over there." Noticing the state of her clothes, he shook his head, suddenly serious. "You look like hell, girl."

Giving the shark nin an irritated glare, Sakura wiped her wet bangs out of her face. "Kisame-san, you have no idea how much you fucking suck right now."

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Hidan spun his scythe as the hawk ANBU came closer. But his opponent just ignored him and limped over to the two kunoichi on the ground. After giving them a once over, he finally faced Hidan. "I don't know how you managed to survive, Ess was the strongest berserker in the village. The jutsu you used must be a powerful one. But we are not as weak as we seem. Now watch, I'm going to show you the strength of Kumogakure's shinobi!"

Straightening up, the hawk rapidly began forming hand seals. Halfway through, the frog kunoichi picked up the chain, falling into perfect rhythm with him. As they finished, the air stirred, growing heavy and humid. The clouds that had been racing by slowed, gathering overhead until they blocked the sun. Dropping to one knee as chakra poured from him, the hawk raised his head and lifted his hands into the air. The frog mirrored his actions from her place on the ground, releasing a scream as her life force poured into the atmosphere.

"Forbidden Jutsu- Raiton: Heaven's Wrath Descending!" they cried out in unison.

Hidan's eyes widened as blue sparks jumped from the hands of both ninja into the charged air around them. A soft rumble sounded, like a miniature thunderclap. But the heavy air and the moisture on the ground set off a chain reaction, and soon a soft blue glow filled the entire ravine. Before he had time to dodge, or even blink, a blinding white light erupted in front of him, the force of the electrical discharge blowing him backwards. His entire body was scorched black, and before he could hit the ground, a deafening roar sounded. Knocked senseless, Hidan hit the ground and lay there, unable to move.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but he was in no hurry. He wouldn't be able to do much until his body started healing anyway. There was no way the Cloud ninja survived the blast, not that they intended to in the first place. The first prickles of intense pain ran over his skin, a sign that his nerves were starting to heal. It felt almost as bad as when he was blown apart and dropped into that pit for five years. Ignoring that thought, Hidan concentrated on the pain. Sinking into the feeling, he let it wash over him as he waited to heal. His mind drifted to Sakura, and he wondered if she had made it to Kisame yet, or if he had lain there long enough for the battle to be over now. More time passed, and when he was sure he could move again, he slowly climbed to his feet and headed out of the ravine, in the direction she had taken. His clothes were nearly non-existent, but his scythe and pike had survived, so he gingerly picked them up and carried them in one hand. With the other, he dug his pendant out of his charred chest and said a prayer to Jashin as he walked, thanking him for a good battle and keeping him alive to serve him another day.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

As Kisame landed at the top of the ravine, he took off at a dead run. Precious seconds had been wasted rousing Kisho, and as a result, the eight-tails was pulling ahead. Samehada wiggled furiously in his grasp, excited by the close proximity of their target. But the big sword was slowing his pace, so Kisame strapped him to his back as he ran, and pushed chakra into his legs to close the widening gap between them. It wasn't easy going, the low lighting of dawn and the rocky terrain threatened to trip him up every couple of feet. But he wasn't about to let a few loose stones and ruts keep him from his goal, so he plowed through without slowing up. Kisho's chakra flared up behind him. It was about damn time he caught up. At the rate he had been going, the battle would be over before he even got there.

A mile away from the ravine, Kisame grinned in triumph. He was closing in fast now. So fast that it almost seemed as if the eight-tails had suddenly stopped. Focusing on his target, Kisame's grin faded. He _had_ stopped. Suddenly wary, the shark nin slowed his pursuit. Was he turning to fight? Or maybe he was setting up some sort of trap? Reaching up to grasp Samehada's hilt, Kisame stopped as well, and signaled Kisho to join him. The redhead dropped to a crouch, panting hard.

Normally, they would have charged right in, but this jinchuriki was not an opponent to take lightly. If Suigetsu's wildly exaggerated stories were to be believed, then he nearly took out Sasuke's entire team at the same time. Kisame's grin returned as adrenaline started pumping through his body in response to the tension, sharpening his senses and making his heart beat a little faster. He was really going to enjoy this.

Drawing his sword, Kisame silently started forward again. Kisho drew a kunai from his weapons pouch and followed. Rounding a large section of rock, they could see their target, standing amid a grove of stunted trees and boulders. He was standing in profile to them, and he had something in his hand. His other hand was raised in the air, a smaller object in his grip. Moving closer, Kisame was surprised to discover that he was holding a book and pencil. After a moment, he began writing in a flurry across the pages...and was he singing to himself? For someone who knew he was being pursued, he sure was calm. Kisame was nearly upon him when the jinchuriki turned and faced him.

"Ya fools just don't quit, have ya lost yo' wit? The last bunch of ya I sent packin', leave me alone, o' we'll be scrappin'." he said, waving his hand as if to shoo them off.

Kisame laughed. "The trick with the tentacle was pretty funny, but you'll find that I'm not so easily fooled. Surrender, Hachibi, you're coming with us."

With a savage grin, Killer Bee put away his book and drew two of his swords, holding them both in one hand. "I gave ya a chance to save yo' skins, but if ya wanna dance, let's begin!"

With his fingers in the shape of bullhorns, Killer Bee lifted his free hand in the air and let out a long battle cry. He charged forward, heading straight for Kisame. The shark nin smirked and swung Samehada in a wide arc before launching himself at the eight-tails. Kisho watched as the two clashed with a violent ringing of metal. Time stopped for several moments as they stood locked together, each one trying to knock their opponent back. Then, just as quickly as they stilled, there was a flurry of movement as they began a furious bout of swordplay. Dawn was upon them now, and the early morning sunlight gleamed off their blades in blinding flashes as they twisted and turned, each trying to outmaneuver the other.

Not wanting to just stand idly by, Kisho began forming hand seals. When he was finished, he quietly crouched down and laid both hands on the ground, pouring his chakra into the earth. His dark red hair fell into his eyes, blocking his view of the combatants. But as large as their chakras were, he didn't need to see to know exactly where they were. The ground began rumbling slightly as his jutsu took effect. Four boulders began emerging around him, taking on the shape of lions as they rose. A smug grin crossed his lips. He was very proud of the adaptations he developed to his Stone Lion Summons. Now, instead of going through a three step process, he could get the job done in one. He might not have liked the idea of joining the Akatsuki at first, but there were definitely some advantages to training with some of the best shinobi in the world. He stood back up as his lions came to his side and waited for an opportunity to join the fight.

Kisame's smirk deepened as he felt another dose of the jinchuriki's chakra enter his body. Every time their swords met, he had Samehada drain a little chakra from the eight-tails and transfer it to him. Not enough to really be noticeable, but it would slowly weaken him until he tired himself out. But it was getting harder to keep Samehada from taking too much. With every draw, the sword was trying to drain more and more. Finally his control slipped, and Killer Bee jumped back, a surprised look on his face. "How'd you just drain my chakra, you bastard!"

A sinister laugh rumbled up from Kisame's chest. He was feeling so good from the extra power coursing through him and the excitement of the battle that he couldn't be upset that his technique was found out. Leaning forward as a predatory gleam came to his eyes, he answered in an almost conspiratorial tone. "My Samehada is no ordinary sword. It loves the taste of powerful chakra, and yours is the best we've found yet."

Killer Bee glanced from the Mist nin to the sword and back again. Regaining his composure, he adjusted his sunglasses and drew two more swords. His chakra flared and raced down the blades in his hands. The tips sparked and crackled with lightning energy. "Ya trifled with the best, now yo' gonna see, you oughtn' have messed with the Killer Bee!" he yelled angrily.

Racing forward again, Killer Bee charged. Kisame waited, ready for him. But as he ran, the eight-tails' outline began to waver and blur, until it looked like he was rolling forward. Kisame caught the gleam of metal just before a sword was launched at him. It was moving so fast that as he tried to dodge it, his shoulder was grazed. The lightning chakra stung him, blistering his skin, and he felt blood begin to trickle down his arm. All this barely had time to register before another sword was launched at him. He managed to dodge it, but Killer Bee had reached him, and he brought Samehada up just in time to keep from being skewered in the chest. Using his massive strength, Kisame pushed the eight-tails back.

Kisame narrowed his eyes as he felt the need to kill ride him hard. He had to keep reminding himself that this was not the battle to go all out on. So he ignored the pain that triggered his bloodlust and attacked. He had to admit, the jinchuriki was strong. Nearly as strong as he was. The only problem was, he was fast too, which left Kisame at something of a disadvantage. Well, he was fast too, just not on land. In the water he was unrivaled. Which gave him a really good idea. But Samehada would need more chakra first. As he came upon Killer Bee, he swung his sword in a wide arc. His blow wouldn't actually land, but it would be close enough for his needs. As intended, he felt Samehada expand with his opponent's chakra. It's blades were beginning to poke through the bandaging, straining for freedom, and it was practically undulating with delight. A couple more times like that, and he would be ready.

Killer Bee jumped back out of range. Kisame watched as his chakra flared and changed, glowing a bright blue. It began surrounding him, large chakra tails forming behind him. As they emerged, Kisame counted them up. There were eight in all. This was definitely the hachibi's demon chakra cloak. So, he was getting serious, eh. Good, the biju's chakra would be even better for his plan. Kisame stood there calmly as Killer Bee shouted loudly and charged him once more. He held still until the very last minute before bringing Samehada up to defend himself. The chakra drain this time was immense, and Kisame felt the sword grow heavy. It was now longer than he was, and as it tore through its bandages, he could see the emergence of its large mouth at the tip. It was time. And a good thing too, because the jinchuriki hadn't missed, even though Samehada had been between them. His arm was lacerated, and bleeding heavily. The wound spread to his chest, but it was far from fatal.

But the fact that he hadn't been taken down by the attack seemed to really irritate Killer Bee. As Kisame turned to face him, he was surprised to see him growing in size, his body morphing into that of the eight-tailed ox. It was impressive to watch the writing mass of tentacles and horns emerge, the raw power transforming an ordinary human into something formidable. The fully transformed host let out a passionate howl before towering over Kisame. The chakra pressure he was emitting now was incredible, nearly driving Kisho to his knees, and making Kisame break a sweat. The air grew heavy and still, as if the very earth knew it was in the presence of one of the world's most powerful creatures. Killer Bee's voice boomed as he laid down yet another taunting rhyme. He certainly loved to do that.

"I'm through being gentle, ya fishy fool. Now it's time for da eighth ta rule!"

Turning to look at his partner, Kisame smirked. "Keep him busy, Kisho. We're about to wrap this up." Nodding, the Stone shinobi warily stepped up, sending two of his lions circling on either side of Killer Bee. Without a visible signal, they attacked in tandem, one sinking its teeth in a massive arm while the other went straight for his chest. One tentacle grabbed the second lion in a crushing grip while Killer Bee shook his arm wildly, trying to dislodge the first.

Kisame quickly picked the last bits of bandage from Samehada's blades before he held it out at arms length and began merging with it. First he felt the massive wave of chakra enter his body, healing his wounds and filling him with a heady sense of power. The physical changes came slower. His face rounded and his head was drawn downward. He could feel his neck and spine elongate, and his aquatic tail emerged along with his dorsal fin. His fingernails and toenails lengthened into claws and webs appeared between his digits. Two more fins appeared behind his elbows, but these were harder and more for fighting than mobility. His skin thickened and smoothed out, making him look more like a shark than ever. The whole process was more than a little painful, he could feel every crack and pop as his bones contorted and his muscles adjusted to their new shape. But it would be worth it. With Samehada protecting him, he was practically invincible. As soon as the merge was complete, he took a second to stretch his muscles before beginning the set of hand seals for his largest water prison.

"Suiton: Suiro Same Odori no Jutsu!" he cried as he finished the last one. Opening his mouth, he let the swelling chakra rush from him as a flood of water. It sloshed over the ground, pooling around the three combatants until it formed a circle in the grove. Then the water level began to rise so fast that it was only moments before it was complete. The hachibi had been too busy dealing with Kisho's lions to avoid it before it was too late. Kisame smirked. Now he was trapped, and there was little he could do about it. The battle had just turned in the shark's favor.

Swimming towards where Kisho was treading water, Kisame signaled for him to get back. The redhead complied, heading to the opposite wall. His stone lions were too heavy to stay afloat, and as soon as the hachibi freed himself, they sank to the bottom, where they prowled as they waited to be loosed. Now that Kisho was out of the way, Kisame faced Killer Bee, who was complacently hovering in the middle, his tentacles keeping him balanced and aloft in the water. Back in his favorite element, Kisame swam in several tight circles, relishing in the weightless freedom. Kicking his feet out behind him, he rushed forward, intent on tackling the eight-tails. The octopus-bull met him halfway. Kisame slammed into him hard as he felt several tentacles wrap around his arms and legs. The forward motion moved the water prison with him, and Kisho suddenly found himself in open air, hovering a moment before plummeting towards the ground.

Finding his feet, he landed in the dirt with a dull thud, sinking through his knees to absorb the force of the impact. The two lions he hadn't used yet immediately came to his side. Now that he was on the outside, Kisho could fully appreciate the effect of Kisame's jutsu. The water bubble was massive. It rose several stories in the air, and had a diameter of at least a quarter of a mile. He was sure that if he could get up into the air to look at it, it would remind him of a water globe sitting in the middle of a miniature landscape. The liquid was clear, and he could easily see Kisame and Killer Bee as they fought with each other. For the most part, they looked like a massive tangle of arms, legs, and tentacles. The eight-tails dwarfed his partner in size, but from what he could tell of their chakra levels, they were just about even in strength. They suddenly separated, and Kisame was thrown back towards him. The water moved with him, and Kisho had to retreat to keep from being sucked back in again.

Killer Bee had created a thick cloud of ink, and Kisame charged right into it, determined to take his opponent down. As he disappeared into the darkness, Kisho felt a little shudder of fear run down his spine. Even though he had been around Kisame for awhile now, it was hard thinking of him as human when he was in his current state. He looked more like a beastly monster than a man, and his predatory nature only added to the effect. It was a good thing they were on the same side, because he could easily imagine what it would be like to face that massive hunk of chakra and teeth. It wasn't a pretty thought. As he turned his attention back to the murky sphere in front of him he noticed that something was happening. There was a dim blue glow coming from inside. The whole thing begin trembling, and as Kisho watched in horror, the water prison burst.

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Inside, Kisame glanced behind him in time to see Kisho leave the water prison. That was good, now he wouldn't have to worry about him drowning. He had almost killed Itachi like that once. He had overestimated his ability to hold his breath, and the Uchiha had nearly died in a battle against a cell of Mist bounty hunters that had come after them. Turning back to his current target, he concentrated on weakening him further. He was slowly working on his chakra, but his physical strength was still formidable. Unfortunately, Kisame couldn't do much but suck chakra at the moment. His arms and legs were caught in Killer Bee's tentacles, so he didn't have much movement. But he was far from defeated. Using the added strength in his back, he reared back to head butt him in the face. The blow made contact, and the force of it sent them both spinning through the water. The tentacles' grip loosened, and pulling an arm free, Kisame began mercilessly punching the hachibi in the chest and head. The battle turned into a knock-down drag-out fist fight, with both sides taking their share of devastating blows.

Little trails of blood swirled in the water as Killer Bee finally ran out of the chakra he needed to maintain his transformation. He began shrinking in size, until only the demon cloak remained around his human form. But reverting forms gave him a little of his original strength back. With a vicious kick, Kisame was knocked backwards, and Killer Bee opened his mouth. Instead of a rhyme, black ink spewed out. The water clouded quickly, and if it hadn't been for his merge with Samehada, the hachibi would have disappeared from sight. But with his enhanced sight, he knew exactly where he was at, and sensing that his opponent was waning fast, charged right at him. He sped through the murky water, and reached the eight-tails just in time to see him start a set of hand seals. His stamina had to be running low, so this was probably a last ditch effort to escape.

The water around him swirled as if drawn by a current, and he watched as a blue glow began emanating from Killer Bee. Kisame's eyes widened in surprise. Surely he wasn't about to use a lightning jutsu in the water. They would both be fried. But he was evidently serious, because the first hint of sparks jumped around him, crackling lightly in the water. Survival instinct overrode his desire to fight, and Kisame brought his hands together, dispelling his water prison as quickly as he could. The liquid began swirling in agitation as the chakra holding it together was released. Exploding under the sudden lack of pressure, the water bubble burst, flooding what remained of the grove and heading downhill towards the ravine. Losing altitude quickly, the shinobi hit the soggy ground with a muted thud. Kisame glanced behind him just in time to see his partner emerging from a nearby tree that he had jumped into to escape the wave of water.

Kisame and Killer Bee both dropped to their knees, one from lack of chakra, the other from suddenly being on land again. As soon as the water was safely out of the way, Kisho stepped in, sending his stone lions after Killer Bee before heading in himself, kunai in hand. Kisame took the opportunity to separate himself from Samehada. The merge was perfect in the water, but he fought better on land in his original form. The chakra used for the merge and the water prison reduced the sword to its original size, so after he retrieved his cloak and harness, Kisame strapped Samehada to his back and watched his partner as he fought. He would step in if things got out of hand, but he had a feeling that the eight-tails was all but spent. He had to admit, the kid had improved greatly. He was holding his own, and even though the hachibi was weakened, if Kisho was still at the level he was when he first joined Akatsuki, Killer Bee would have mopped the floor with him without breaking a sweat.

After about twenty minutes of rest, a chakra signature to his right caught his attention. It was either Hidan or Sakura, and he smirked when he saw a flash of pink heading his way. He was pleased that she made it through her battle whole, though where Hidan was, he didn't know. When she reached his side, he greeted her. "Hey, Zombie Chick! I'm glad you're here, Cat Boy will probably need some help once he gets done playing over there."

As her gaze followed to where he was pointing, Kisame took in her physical state. She was soaked and muddy, her cloak had several long gashes in it, and she looked like she had just been crying. In fact, he knew she was, he could smell the salty tears that were still streaked on her face. His smile faded and he shook his head. "You look like hell, girl." he said quietly.

Then she looked at him and gave him that infamous glare that would drop lesser men in their tracks from fear. She wiped her soggy hair out of her eyes. "Kisame-san, you have no idea how much you fucking suck right now." she told him.

That's right. The water from his jutsu had headed right her way. But in the chaos of battle, he never even thought of it affecting them. But it wasn't like there was much he could do to stop it anyway. Giving her an apologetic smile, he leaned down and wiped a smudge of mud from her cheek. "Sorry about that, Sakura-san. It couldn't be helped. That damn jinchuriki has been giving us hell."

Speaking of, he suddenly felt the hachibi's chakra waver, and he turned to find Kisho still battling him, using all four of his lions. The two that had been in the water prison had evidently survived being washed downstream. Both shinobi were bleeding heavily, and it was hard to decide who was actually winning. Then in a quick move, Kisho scored a deep blow with his kunai in Killer Bee's torso. Frowning, Kisame called out to his partner. "Hey kid! We're supposed to catch him, not kill him! Drop the weapon!"

Kisho gave his partner a glare to rival Sakura's but did as he was told. Instead of directly attacking, he had his stone lions pin him down, using their massive weight to prevent his escape. Kisame and Sakura watched as the Stone nin calmly walked over to him, leaned down and lay a hand on the jinchuriki's forehead. His long red and black hair swirled around his face as his chakra signature gained in strength. As he drained Killer Bee's energy, his constructs showed the effects as well. The lions grew larger, their stone bodies hardening until the minerals within the rock rose to the surface, giving them a brindled effect. After a few moments, Kisho stood and pulled his cloak off, wrapping it around the now unconscious body of the hachibi.

Kisame and Sakura approached him, and as he turned and looked at him, Sakura was surprised to see that his gold eyes had darkened, and were glowing almost black with the added chakra. When he turned and spoke to Kisame, his voice sounded normal, except that it had a rumbling quality that wasn't there before. "There, I didn't kill him." he said sulkily. Then he turned to her, noticing the expression on her face. "Is something wrong, Sakura-san?" She wasn't sure what to say to him, so she just shook her head. Thankfully, she was saved by the sound of a voice emerging from the trees behind them.

"_Well done!_"

"**If you are finished here, we will take the hachibi to the sealing cave.**" Zetsu said as he came up behind them.

Sakura stared at him in shock. When did he get here? He returned her stare with an aloof look before walking over to the prone body of Killer Bee. He stood still for a long moment, transfixed by the rivulet of blood running down his torso. Then he seemed to snap out of it, and leaning down, picked the body up as if it weighed nothing. Then he turned and looked at the shinobi. "**Where is Hidan?**"

Kisame shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows?"

"He'll be here as soon as he gets finished with the Cloud ANBU." Sakura stated.

"_Very good._ **I'm sure Leader-sama will want you all together when it is time for the sealing to begin.**" Zetsu said.

Nodding, Kisame and Kisho turned and headed towards the ravine, the four stone lions padding noisily alongside. Sakura reluctantly followed behind. As she walked, she could hear the bi-colored shinobi muttering to himself.

"_How exciting, he looks tasty._"

"**Behave yourself, you know we can't have him.**"

"_That's unfair._"

"**Don't sulk. We get more than our fair share with this job. Letting one or two go won't kill us**. **Besides, we'll have another chance later.**"

"_Fine, let's just get this over with._"

Just as soon as she had turned around to look, Zetsu was gone, along with the eight-tails. A shiver went down Sakura's spine. Surely he didn't mean that he thought the eight-tails was literally tasty. That would just be creepy. But then again, this was Zetsu, so it very well could be in the realm of possibility. Not wanting to think anymore on it, she hurried to catch up to the other two, who had somehow gotten ahead of her. They were nearly halfway back to the ravine when she spotted movement ahead. It took her several moments to realized that the charred figure she was looking at was Hidan. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she recognized him. Breaking into a dead run, she reached his side in a matter of seconds, despite her tiredness. He was nearly naked, most of his clothes either burned or torn away. He had his scythe and pike, and his rosary still hung around his neck, although Sakura could tell that it had at one point been buried in the damaged flesh beneath.

"Hidan, what the hell happened? Are you okay?" she asked almost frantically.

He gave her a pained grin. "Those stupid fuckers tried to fry my ass." Then he caught sight of Kisame standing behind her, and fury swept over his face. "I hope you fucking burn in hell, Kisame."

The shark ninja gave him a look of mock puzzlement. "What the hell did I do?"

"As if you didn't know, you cock-sucker! You almost drowned everyone in a five mile radius with your shitty jutsu! Now, we're both soaking wet, I lost half my sacrifices, and if Sakura gets sick, I'm sending your fishy ass straight to Jashin!"

Kisame just shook his head. "Stop your damn whining. You're still alive."

"No thanks to you! If it weren't for Jashin-sama's blessings, we'd both be dead!" Hidan shot back. Either he had hit his head when he was blown back, or the shark ninja was sounding a lot like Kakuzu just now.

Kisame smirked. "So you're admitting that in a fair fight, I'd kick your ass?"

"Like hell!"

Kisame just kept smirking. Too tired to argue further, the bedraggled group headed to the ravine to see if any of their things had survived. Unfortunately, all they found were two empty caves. Their bedrolls had washed away with the water. Deciding that they had no time to waste looking for them, they headed back towards Amegakure. The battleground would most likely be crawling with Cloud nins soon, and they wanted to be far, far away when that happened. They kept a steady pace, but didn't hurry, and at noon they stopped to rest. Sakura healed the worst of Kisho's wounds, despite his protests that he was fine. Kisame was surprisingly unharmed. When she asked him how he managed it, he grinned at her and said he was just good like that. And of course, Hidan refused her offer of help. But his skin was healing rapidly on it's own. By the time they stopped, it had went from completely black to a dark reddish brown.

When dusk fell they set up a makeshift camp on a bluff overlooking a section of swampland. There were a couple of large trees clinging to life in the harsh terrain, and Hidan settled against one of them, Sakura at his side. Kisame had lent him his cloak, just so he wouldn't have to stare at his ugly ass, he had said. Which had resulted in another round of tossed insults and threats. Kisame said he would stand watch again, because he was the least fatigued, but Sakura had a feeling none of them would get much rest until they were safely back at the base. Kisho hadn't said much for most of the day, and when it was time to sleep, he slumped against a tree opposite of her, his stone lions settling down around him. Straightening up, Sakura looked at them curiously. Kisho had managed to hold the jutsu all day, and she wasn't sure why he hadn't dispelled it by now.

"Kisho, are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?" he replied. She noted that his eyes and voice had returned to normal.

"Well, I just figured that you would have dispelled your lion jutsu by now is all."

Kisho looked a little sheepish. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"When I drained Killer Bee of his chakra, I took in more than my reserves would hold. Without the lions slowly leeching it out, the overload would kill me. I would just use a bigger jutsu to get rid of the excess, but I'd rather not draw attention to us." he explained.

"Oh." That made sense.

They fell silent after that, and soon Kisho was fast asleep. Sakura was feeling drowsy herself, and she subconsciously found herself snuggling closer to Hidan for warmth, despite his injuries. If it bothered him, he never complained. Kisame built a small fire, just enough to keep the chill off since they didn't have their blankets and he was without his cloak. Soon she had her head pillowed in Hidan's lap, watching the flames lick the wood as it burned. He absently ran his fingers through her hair, soothing her into relaxing further. Just as her mind started to drift, a disturbing thought entered her brain. There was only one tailed beast left for the Akatsuki to capture. The one inside Naruto. And that thought made a very bad feeling settle in the pit of her stomach. Things were about to get nasty, and she wasn't sure there was anything she could do to even slow it down. Her brow furrowed, but she was already lulled into slumber. She fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming about the frog ANBU, Naruto and the mysterious redhead that was somehow connected to Pein.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Sakura awoke to the gentle patter of rain on the bedroom window. The room was cool and airy, a gentle breeze from the slightly open window drifting over her skin where she had kicked the sheet off during the night. She vaguely remembered Hidan getting up right at dawn, but it had barely registered before she dozed off again. Demon had chosen not to follow his master for once, and was lying curled up on her chest, purring lightly. With a groan she opened her eyes and stared at the kitten, jealous of his still unconscious state. She shouldn't feel so tired, she had slept deeply all night. But then again, it had been a very busy couple of days. Her group had arrived at the base late yesterday morning, and after checking in with Madara, she spent the rest of the day healing Kisho all the way and recouping her chakra. The Stone nin's chakra levels returned to normal as well, and he could finally walk around without his animal escort.

After moving the kitten and groggily forcing herself out of bed and to the bathroom, Sakura dressed and headed to the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled loudly as the delicious smell of steak and eggs assaulted her nose in the hallway. She usually didn't eat a heavy breakfast, but it smelled so good, she didn't think she could resist. Demon evidently agreed with her, because he raced down the hall ahead of her, his tail twitching in excitement. She entered the room to find Hidan piling two plates high with the aforementioned food, plus toast and fresh fruit. Dropping into a chair as he walked to the table, Sakura's eyes widened as he put one of the plates in front of her. "Hidan, this is enough food for three people. There's no way I can eat it all!" she exclaimed.

"Eat as much of it as you can. Believe me, you're gonna need it." a voice said from the doorway.

Sakura turned to find Madara standing with his arms folded over his chest, the eye hole in his mask turned her way. "Why's that?" she asked.

"We're going to start sealing the hachibi today. Since Pein and Konan won't be able to help us, everyone will have to put more effort in than usual. You've never done it before, so I'll warn you ahead of time. It's not a simple jutsu that you complete as soon as you're done forming seals. It takes days to finish, and once the biju is extracted, you'll need at least two days to recover from the exhaustion and chakra drain. Basically, it's a battle of stamina and determination." he explained.

Images of Gaara's lifeless body rose to the front of her mind. She froze, her hand halfway to her plate. As far as she knew, none of the jinchuriki had survived having their tailed beast removed this way. Was it because there was no other way to extract the demon without killing the host, or was it because no one bothered trying to save them? She saw Naruto's smiling face. He was one of her closest friends. They had seen hell together, and had pulled each other back from the brink of destruction on more than one occasion. He might not forgive her for the things she'd done, but she had to try and find a way to spare his life if he was somehow captured. She owed him at least that much. Her blood ran cold as another thought hit her. If Pein and Konan were out on a mission, their objective had to be very important to the Akatsuki. She had never seen them outside the base otherwise. And there was only one objective that would call out the most powerful of their shinobi. The last of the tailed beasts, the kyuubi.

Oh shit. Konoha was in danger, and she was bound to do nothing about it. Fear ate at her. Her friends, her family, the people she grew up with, all of them were in harm's way. She mentally slapped herself. Snap out of it, Sakura. You're a ninja, damn it. Tsunade, Kakashi and the others would protect the village with their lives. She had to trust in them. And besides, Naruto was probably still away training. Most likely, Pein would either be repelled and return unsuccessful, or come back on his own when he learns that Naruto isn't there. But if he did manage to take Naruto, her time to come up with a way to save him just got very, very short. She had to hurry.

Leveling a determined stare on Madara, she spoke. "Madara-sama, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"The sealing jutsu, has there ever been a host to survive the extraction?"

"No, why? You aren't getting squeamish on us, are you, Sakura-san?" he asked, a sharp note in his voice.

"No, it's not that. I was just wondering why taking the tailed beast out kills the jinchuriki. Call it medical curiosity." she lied.

"Ah. Well, I have no idea, except that when the biju's chakra is pulled out of the body, the host's chakra is released as well. But I guess you'll see for yourself soon enough. Eat up, we'll start as soon as everything is ready. Get your replacement cloaks and find a comfortable spot. I'll contact you in about two hours." With that, Madara turned and disappeared down the hall.

Sakura turned back to Hidan, who had been surprisingly silent during the exchange. He was staring at her, his darkly tanned face unreadable. "Sakura, that was damn reckless."

"What's the matter, Hidan?"

"Look, I know you're still fucking attached to those pu-" Sakura narrowed her eyes, "people from Konoha." Hidan corrected himself. "But we have other objectives. Now that Madara knows you're worried about something, he'll be watching you. He hasn't lived this damn long by being trusting. And that will make it hard as hell to get close to him." he chided.

Sakura dropped her eyes to the table. She hadn't thought of that. In her worry over Naruto, she had forgotten all about her mission for Jashin. But if she killed Madara, both of her problems would be solved at once. She would fulfill her duty to Jashin and save Naruto. She just hoped the death god gave her the sign to proceed before something really bad happened. Lifting her eyes, she looked at Hidan. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

Hidan watched as her face fell, and inwardly kicked himself. He hated it when she looked like that. And he felt worse knowing that he was the cause of it. "Shit, don't worry about it. Jashin-sama will make sure it works the way he fucking wants it to." he said.

The rest of breakfast passed in silence. When she was sure she would burst from overeating, Sakura pushed her plate away and stood. Hidan dropped his leftovers to Demon and joined her. After getting their new cloaks from one of the storage rooms, they headed to their bedroom. Hidan had explained that they would both probably pass out when it was over, so why not land on the bed rather than a table or the floor? Plus, they would be alone and could lock the door, so they would be safer while they slept. They left Demon out so he could hunt while they were busy, and after rearranging the pillows on the bed, Hidan propped himself up against the headboard and beckoned her to join him.

Sakura pulled her sandals off and climbed across the mattress to sit beside Hidan. It was weird wearing her cloak to bed, but if it hadn't been a matter of protocol, she doubted Madara would have even bothered with it. They reclined in silence for several minutes, until Sakura realized that Madara had said it would be two hours before he contacted them. It had only been an hour since she had talked to him. So what were they going to do until then? Glancing over at Hidan, she saw that he had pulled his pendant off and was praying. She had to wonder, did Jashin actually hear his prayers? And what did Hidan pray about? More time passed and she closed her eyes and tried to relax. She was so full it was making her sleepy. She could almost take a nap, if it weren't for the thoughts of her friends and what they might be going through right now. Had Pein gotten to Konoha? Were they in the midst of a battle, or was it all over before she even discovered what was going on? She was just about to push it all away when she felt a hand slide under her cloak and over her bare knee.

Heat instantly rose to her cheeks as she jumped and her eyes flew open. Hidan was leaning over her, lust evident in his gaze. Without thinking about his still healing skin, Sakura reached up and slapped him on the shoulder. "Hidan, you scared the hell out of me!"

Sucking in his breath as the sting from her slap hit him, he wrapped a muscled arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Nudging the high collar of her cloak down with his chin, Hidan buried his face against her neck. Inhaling deeply, he released it, his warm breath sending goosebumps crawling up her arms and a delightful shiver down her spine. His touch still held sway over her body, making her relax and sending her dark mood scurrying away. Heat curled into her stomach as he began moving his lips, gently kissing down her throat. When he reached the tendon at the base and lightly bit down, her fingers fisted in his cloak and she let out a little gasp of pleasure. He slowly licked his way around the abused skin before he lifted his head and looked at her, a satisfied smirk on his face. "You should be fucking scared of me. I'm your worst nightmare."

Rolling her eyes at his arrogance, Sakura leaned up and kissed his lips. "You're impossible." she said.

His only response was to pull her closer and kiss the breath from her. She reveled in it, the way her body responded to him, the fire that seemed to consume her every time their lips met. His fingers slid beneath her cloak again, and this time she welcomed it, letting his touch wash away her sorrow, her guilt, her doubt. His marauding hand found its way under her shirt, and she let out a relaxed sigh as he rubbed circles over the soft skin of her belly. Her hands found their way to the back of his neck, and she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, letting her tongue glide over his. His fingers started wandering higher when he froze, a look of anger and embarrassment washing over his face. He pulled away from her as if he had just been scalded, swearing up a storm.

Confused, Sakura sat up and stared at him. "Hidan, what's wro-"

Suddenly, her head felt strange, light, the way it would if she had a bad cold. Then a voice entered her mind. "_Sakura._"

What the hell? The voice was most definitely that of Madara's, even though her ears didn't actually hear it. Then she shuddered. It just felt so...invasive. Her mind had always been her own, and it creeped her out that someone else was in there. Sure she had her inner, but that was different, she was just a manifestation of Sakura's unrequited desires, a part of her. So, now that he had called her, what should she do? Did she need to answer him, or could he hear her subconscious thoughts? That last thought scared her, and she quickly schooled her mind into a blank state. Forming the words in her mind, she answered him. 'Yes, Madara-sama?'

"_Good, it's about time you answered me. We are ready to start the sealing jutsu. Hidan will show you the seals that will bring you to the cave. When we start, remember to pay attention to your chakra. We need a nice, steady, concentrated flow for it to work._"

After he spoke, Sakura felt him withdraw without waiting for an answer. Her head returned to normal, and taking a steadying breath, she looked over at Hidan. He was still fuming away, angry at 'that fucking heathen and his piss poor timing.' Laying a hand on his arm, she leaned over and captured his lips, his complaints dying in his throat. When she felt him begin to relax and kiss her back, she bit his lip hard, pulling back with a smirk when he groaned. "Just think of it this way, we have something to look forward to later." she said, dropping her voice to a silky purr. Thank Ino for her lessons in feminine persuasion.

Hidan gave her a hot look. "You're fucking on."

Settling back against the headboard, Sakura watched as he showed her the seals she would need for the communication jutsu. It was surprisingly simple, just in an odd combination. The last one had one of her hands wrapped around the index and middle finger of her opposite hand, those same two fingers on her covering hand pointing towards her chin. As soon as her hands were clasped together, she felt her chakra stir and for an instant, she couldn't see. She hadn't closed her eyes, but it was very dark. Finally a point of light appeared, and she focused on it. Another point appeared beside the first, and she realized that it was a set of eyes. Bright gold eyes. It was Kisho. Except for his eyes, his face was little more than a shadowy blur. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could make out more and more detail. The only thing she could see of his body was the clouds on his cloak and his outline. But the clouds weren't red, instead they wavered with various colors, reminding her of the sheen on soap bubbles. And he wasn't close, like she figured he would be. He was further away, standing on what looked like a large stone. Another pair of gold eyes to Kisho's right caught her attention, this set mismatched. It was Zetsu. But he was evidently really there, because she could see all of his body, and he was solid instead of shadowed. He was standing on a separate stone, several feet from Kisho.

Glancing down in curiosity, Sakura was amazed to see that she also looked like a shadowed phantom. And she too was standing on a narrow stone column. Which was really weird, because she could still feel her real body, sitting on Hidan's bed. Her gaze dropped further, and she discovered that the columns were actually fingers on two chained stone hands that rose from the ground. Between them lay the unconscious body of Killer Bee. The hands rested in front of an even bigger head. It was a large, ugly thing with sharp stone teeth. It had eight smaller eyes on either side of a larger ninth eye in the middle. Seven of the eight little eyes were open. The eighth eye was barely cracked, as if it could sense the presence of the tailed demon lying between its hands.

Looking back down at the eight-tail's jinchuriki, Sakura gave him a once over, her medic habits taking over. His skin looked sweaty, and the rise and fall of his chest was irregular and shallow. Occasionally, she would catch the twitch of a finger or knee, as if he was trying desperately to wake up. Zetsu must have him drugged. That would only make sense. What else would they do with him for two days while they were regaining their chakra? But even so, the sight disturbed her. Had she looked like that when she was brought to the base? A voice from her left broke her thoughts, and she turned her head to see Kisame's predatory eyes looking at her from his much larger shadow.

"Are you holding out okay, Zombie Chick? You're flickering a little. Try concentrating your chakra more."

Nodding, Sakura did as he suggested, even as Hidan protested from her right. "She can do it just fine, fish fuck. Leave her the hell alone!"

"What's up your ass, Hidan-san? Did we interrupt something important?" he asked in a teasing voice.

Sakura was glad that they couldn't really see her face, because the heat that was radiating from her cheeks would have turned her beet red. Hidan must have been just as uncomfortable, because he immediately went on the defensive. "Fuck you!"

Kisho, who normally didn't have much to say about their little spats, spoke up from across the room. "Will you both shut up? I can't concentrate with all the damn noise!"

Looking over at him, Sakura saw that not only were the colors in his cloak wavering, his whole body switched between clear and dark, as if he were about to blink out. His outline blurred several times before finally sharpening to a steady line. Zetsu looked over at him and nodded his head. "_You're getting it!_ **It takes time, Kisho-san, don't get discouraged**."

A stern voice from below them echoed through the cave. "Don't waste your energy arguing. This is going to be difficult enough without you all tiring yourselves out over petty fights." Madara said as he walked over to stand next to Killer Bee. Leaning down, he checked to make sure he was still alive before disappearing from sight. Sakura was surprised. She had never seen anyone move so quickly. It was just like the first time she met him in the woods while they were looking for Sasuke. One second he was there, and the next he wasn't. No hint of a direction, nothing.

His voice sounded from her right, and she turned to see him standing on the thumb of the hand she was on. "If we're all ready, let's get started."

The group nodded their assent, and Madara began forming a long set of hand seals, his fingers flying so fast, Sakura couldn't keep up. The ground began trembling as he finished, and there was movement from the statue's head. Ever so slowly, it's mouth parted, showing a dim blue glow from behind the teeth. That's when she felt it. There was a gentle pulling sensation on her chakra. It started in her feet and moved upwards, until it felt like her whole body was being pulled downward. Madara spoke again, and his voice sounded slightly deeper than usual. "Kisho-san, Sakura-san, do you feel the connection of the jutsu with your chakra?"

They nodded, and he continued. "All you have to do is will your chakra to your feet. Allow it to be pulled from you. Not too fast, or slow, but nice and steady."

That didn't sound too hard. Closing her eyes, Sakura tried to relax and let the jutsu take effect. It kind of felt like sinking into quicksand. Momentary thoughts of the resurrection jutsu popped into her mind, but she pushed them away. That would only make her panic. Her eyes opened as a realization hit her. She could still feel the chakra that had left her body. It floated away from her, to mingle with the others' in a cloud between the two hands. She could also feel the others' chakra individually, the strength of each one and its base elements. At first the cloud started out thin and wispy, but as time passed, it became heavier and dense. After awhile it sunk low to the ground, until Killer Bee's body was surrounded by their chakra.

Sakura didn't know how long she had been standing there. Time just seemed to stretch into an endless void in the dark cave. What little conversation there had been died down long ago. Madara had resorted to sitting cross-legged on his stone, and Zetsu had somehow managed to merge with the rock beneath him, leaving everything from the waist up solid. An occasional grunt or sigh could be heard, and every once in a while, Hidan would pipe up and say, this was taking too damn long, he had better things he could be doing. Sakura barely said anything at all. She was too busy concentrating on her chakra and studying the nature of the sealing jutsu. So far she hadn't concluded much, but it was obvious that they were still in the first stage of it, and the real action wouldn't happen until later.

When Sakura felt her chakra slow to a trickle, Madara stood up and spoke. "All right. I think that will do. Now the next part is like tug of war. I'll guide our chakra, and when you feel it lock onto the hachibi's I want you to begin drawing your chakra back towards you."

Sakura watched in fascination as the cloud of chakra began swirling around Killer Bee. Moments later, he began rising from the ground. When he reached the center of the cloud, his body suddenly contorted, head thrown back, eyes and mouth open. That was when she felt it. The hachibi's chakra was like a solid wall. It was surrounded by another, strange chakra, encompassing it like a net. That must be the chakra seal that held the tailed beast captive. And surrounding that, was the chakra she recognized as Killer Bee's. It was lighter, and airy, and swirled violently as they began drawing out the hachibi's chakra.

Sakura remembered what Madara had said and tried drawing back her chakra. But it wouldn't move. In fact, it was still trickling in the wrong direction. Steeling herself, she tried again. The flow stopped. Well, that was a little progress. At least it wasn't flowing out anymore. It suddenly slipped and began trickling again. With a growl of frustration, she managed to get it stopped. Then ever so slowly, she felt it. The tiniest particle of chakra entered her feet. At the same time, a particle of the eight-tails' chakra broke free and entered the cloud, bringing a particle of Killer Bee's chakra with it. As soon as it was free of his body, Killer Bee's chakra floated out of the cloud and dissipated.

No wonder Madara had said it would be a battle of stamina and determination. Removing the tailed beast's chakra particle by particle was an enormous task. And it would take a really long time. Another piece broke free and joined the first in the cloud. Then another. She watched with increasing dismay as Killer Bee's chakra was pulled out and drained away, a little bit at a time. What was causing it? Was the pull from their combined chakra just that strong? Was the seal binding the two together responsible? Or was it something else?

Closing her eyes again, Sakura used her medic experience to feel her way along the path of her chakra. She wanted to examine what was happening as closely as possible. When she reached Killer Bee, she used her precise control to branch her chakra out, letting one half continue to aid in the extraction, while she used the other as a probe. She examined Killer Bee's chakra first. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Then she carefully wound her way around the spot where the hachibi's chakra was being pulled from the sealing net. Nothing seemed different here either, but she didn't see any way to keep Killer Bee's chakra in his body. Finally, she reached out and cautiously touched the hachibi's chakra through the net.

In the blink of an eye, Sakura was no longer in the cave. She was back in her body. But her body wasn't in Hidan's room. Instead, she found herself standing on a rocky island in the middle of an ocean. The sky was black, illuminated only by the flashes of lightning that erupted almost constantly. It wasn't raining, but the air felt heavy, like it would begin pouring at any second. The water was in turmoil, churning and rising in great waves to come crashing down on the rocks. The wind whipped around her, and it was all she could do to keep her hair out of her face so she could see. In the wind she could hear a bellowing cry, nearly drowned out by the deafening thunder and waves. Turning to face it, her eyes widened in horror. A few yards away, sitting on a tall rock was a massive creature. It looked like a giant octopus on the bottom, merged with a bull on top. He had his head lifted, crying out in a loud voice, but when he lowered it to look at her, she gasped. There, on his nose, was the unconscious body of Killer Bee.

Wait a minute. Octopus. Eight legs. She didn't know how it happened, but she suddenly knew that she was standing in front of the hachibi. She swallowed hard. How did she get here? And more importantly, how was she going to get back? Movement brought her attention back. The eight tails was moving closer, tentacles writhing. But he seemed to be going slowly, his movements jerky, as if he was in pain. He suddenly stopped and howled again, and Sakura had to cover her ears as the sound stabbed into her brain.

"Akatsuki!" the beast roared. It could talk? He started forward again, eyes blazing.

Sakura quickly held up her hands in peace. "Wait a minute!" she cried out, desperate to be heard over the thunder and water. "I want to help Killer Bee, but I don't know how? Why is he dying?"

"You do not address me, power hungry bitch! But you will feel my wrath!" he screamed. Sakura's eyes went wide as he lumbered forward, howling in pain. There was nothing she could do but watch, frozen, as he bore down on her, head lowered, horns aimed right at her. To battle him was insanity. He overpowered her by so much, it would be like a grasshopper trying to fight her. She wanted to escape, but where would she go? The island was tiny, barely a pebble in the tempest. Finally her self-preservation kicked in, and she could feel her legs again. Turning, she ran. She didn't have far to run, the ocean was mere feet away. When she reached the edge of the water she turned, and running along the beach, made a large circle. The eight tails blindly chased after her, howling in rage, eyes murderous.

"Please, wait!" she screamed over her shoulder. If only he would listen to her, maybe they could find a way to at least save Killer Bee. Did the eight-tails care at all about his host, or like the fox demon, did he just seek to use him at every possible turn? She could try to bargain with him, but unless he was loyal to his host, there was nothing she could offer him. There was no way she could defy the Akatsuki and free the hachibi. Even if it was possible, it would be suicide. They might not be able to actually kill her, but they knew she loved Konoha, and would take their vengeance out on everything she cherished. And they knew she could still feel pain. An eternity of torture was not something she would look forward to. So she tried to plead with his sense of compassion. If he had any.

But he didn't listen. And so she ran. And pleaded. And ran. Every time she thought he would gore her for sure, he would stumble, or cry out in pain and slow up, allowing her to put some distance between them. She ran until she was so tired, she didn't even bother to look where she was going. She just blindly charged on, as focused on getting away as he was on killing her. The chase wore on, until once again, time was nothing but a blur. Her muscles burned and ached, and her breath was coming in sharp gasps. Then she tripped. Her heart sunk to her stomach as she face planted the ground. Surely, this would be it. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck like a hot wind. Desperate, she crawled on her hands and knees, trying to get away from him. The rocks ate at her hands, tearing gashes in them, blood pouring from the wounds. Hot tears stung her eyes from the pain, but she was determined to survive. Then a loud thud sounded behind her. She ignored it and crawled on. It was only when she was halfway across the island again and too tired to move another inch that she realized he wasn't chasing her anymore. Slowly, she turned her head and looked back.

The great demon was lying in a heap on the beach, his great sides heaving from effort. Killer Bee's body had rolled off of his nose, and lay in the sand a few feet away. Sakura watched as the hachibi used his tentacles to drag himself forward, inch by inch, until he could touch the Cloud nin with his long horns. He rolled him face up before straining forward to wrap a tentacle around him. With a grunt, he tried to lift him back up to his nose. He had nearly had him hoisted into the air, when his muscles spasmed and he dropped him back to the earth. He tried again, and failed. Sakura watched as over and over, he tried to pick him up. Her vision blurred as more tears coursed down her cheeks. It was so sad to watch him hopelessly cling to his host. If only he would just let go, then it would be over. She wanted to cry out to him, to help him. But she was his enemy, and he would only try to fight her. She heard the demon let out another pained cry as everything went black and they were gone.

Sakura suddenly found herself back in the cave. Everyone was still there, concentrating on the jutsu. Looking down, she saw that the hachibi's chakra in their cloud was now a huge mass, nearly filling it. How long had she been out of it? Had she fallen asleep and started dreaming? It had seemed like less than an hour, but she must have been on that island for days. And it had felt so real. Looking at Killer Bee's body, sadness swept over her. She kept seeing the hachibi, trying in vain to save himself. She watched as the pride of Kumo convulsed twice, let out a pained scream that rivaled the howl of the eight tails, and died as the last of both chakras were pulled from his body. Now free of resistance, the chakra cloud quickly streamed backwards, into the mouth of the statue, which closed with a heavy grinding noise. Killer Bee's body fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Silence filled the cave, and for a long time, no one moved.

Madara dropped his hands and looked at the Akatsuki. "Well done! We finished a whole day earlier than expected. And Sakura, I must say, I'm impressed. Once the jutsu started, your chakra never wavered once. Now, get some sleep everyone. Hopefully in a few days we'll do it one more time and be done with this business."

Sakura didn't answer. She was still too shaken. The hachibi was captured. Killer Bee was dead. She had failed to save him. She watched as Kisho blinked out of the cave, followed by Kisame and Hidan. After they were gone, she looked at what remained of Killer Bee. As she stared down at his body, all she could see was Naruto's face. In a few days she might really see him lying there, in the dirt, discarded like the tool people claimed the jinchuriki to be. Hurt anger filled her, as potent as the rage the eight-tails displayed as he chased her. Glancing over at the statue, she saw the eighth eye, open wide and staring into nothingness. 'Damn you for this, Madara! I hope Jashin drops you in the deepest pit of hell to suffer for eternity!' she swore silently. Dropping the communication jutsu, she felt her consciousness being pulled back to her body, a little sluggish from her lack of chakra.

Back in her body, Sakura could barely keep her eyes open. Her body was heavy and slow, and her muscles ached, as if she really had been running on that island for days. Exhausted, she managed to roll toward Hidan, who slowly wrapped an arm around her as he fell asleep. She snuggled into his side and closed her eyes, even as real tears began streaking her face. But at least she now knew why the demon hosts died. It was pure desperation on the beasts' part. In order to keep from being captured again, they clung to their hosts, pulling them to their deaths as they fought to escape the jutsu.

As sleep tried to claim her, she was presented with an even bigger problem. How would she convince the kyuubi, who cared for no man, to let go of Naruto and let himself be captured? And if she did manage to do that, what then? Madara would have all the tailed beasts, and the rest of the shinobi world would be damned under his power. It would seem completely hopeless if she hadn't known of a certain death god's plan. It was only a tiny glimmer of hope, but it was hope nonetheless. 'Jashin, you'd better hurry the hell up. Shit's getting deep down here, and we could really use a paddle.' she prayed as blackness swept over her. She could have sworn she heard the dark god's amused laughter as she fell into a dreamless sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

A breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees overhead, granting a slight reprieve in the afternoon heat. Birds occasionally chirped out a short tune, but for the most part the forest was quiet, its animals awaiting the cooler climate of late evening. In the midst of this peaceful scene, a shadow could be seen darting through the foliage, too fast for the untrained eye to make out. A dull thud suddenly sounded as a blur of orange, black and yellow landed on the ground, in sight of the massive gates of Konohagakure. Running a hand through his sweat soaked hair, Naruto Uzumaki smiled, blue eyes mirroring the action. He was home. It had been nearly five years since he left to train with the toads on Mount Myoboku. Five years away from his friends, his village and his team. He couldn't wait to see the look on everyone's faces when he arrived. Baa-chan's, Kaka-sensei's, and most especially, Sakura-chan's. He wanted to show her how strong he had become. Strong enough to surpass Ero-sennin and be worthy of the title of Hokage. And strong enough to finally bring Sasuke back home. The smile faded from his eyes, but remained on his lips as determination coursed through him. He would not fail again.

Adjusting the massive scroll on his back and the flame embellished haori that signified his accomplishment as a sage, Naruto stepped forward. Approaching the gates, he was surprised to find that they were closed. And more surprising, they didn't open when he lifted a hand and pounded on them. For a long time there was nothing but quiet. He knocked again, but there was still no response. Had something happened? Stepping back, he was about to jump to the gateposts and look around when there was a loud pop and the gates began to swing wide. His smile returned when he could see the village, still there, going on as it always had. And standing in the road to greet him, was Tsunade.

"Baa-chan!" he exclaimed, rushing over to her.

Tsunade stood stiffly before him, arms crossed over her chest, red fingernails gleaming like daggers off her hands. Her breathing was a little rapid, as if she had ran all the way here from her office. There was a welcoming smile on her face, but when Naruto met her eyes, it gave him pause. She looked, watchful, calculating, maybe even worried. Had something happened after all? He wanted to ask, but before he could speak, she greeted him. "Welcome home, Naruto. I know you just got back, but I need to talk to you in my office. A few things have happened recently, and I wanted you to get the correct story from me, before you heard a distorted second-hand rumor."

That was odd. Usually, the Hokage wasn't this vague about anything. "Is something wrong, Baa-chan?" he asked, voice filled with concern.

Instead of answering him, she turned and started walking down the street, waving him to follow after her. Clearly, whatever it was, wasn't meant to be said out on the street. Her pace was brisk, her twin ponytails swishing in time to the rapid click of her heels. Concerned, and more that a little curious, Naruto followed after her, the massive gates behind him snapping shut with another pop as soon as he was clear. Past the whispering bystanders they went, not stopping to talk to anyone, not even when Kakashi dropped from a nearby roof, easily falling into step with them. He gave Naruto a reassuring smile from under his mask, but the usual bored look in his eye was gone, replaced by the same worry the Hokage's held.

"Kaka-sensei!" Naruto greeted him.

"Yo." he said in a tight voice, looking away as he continued to follow Tsunade. With a frown, Naruto noticed that his slouching gait was also gone, along with his favorite book. What on earth had them so shook up?

When they reached the steps of the Hokage Tower, Naruto was surprised to see Sai and Yamato waiting for them. Without a word of greeting, Tsunade swept past them. Naruto raised an eyebrow at her before grinning and waving. There was no need to be rude. "Hey guys!"

"Naruto-san." Yamato replied with a nod.

"Hey, dickless." Sai said, his fox-like grin making Naruto shake his head. Well, at least someone was acting normally around here.

Both shinobi fell in behind Kakashi and Naruto, who was now struggling to keep up with the ever quickening Tsunade. He didn't think she was even capable of moving so fast, kunoichi or not. At last they mounted the final step and proceeded down the hall to her office. Once inside, Yamato quickly closed the door, and Naruto's teammates formed a loose semi-circle around him as he stood before the Hokage's desk. Tsunade flopped into her chair, automatically grabbing her bottle of sake, and took a drink to bolster herself. Setting it down harder than she intended, she watched as Naruto jumped from the noise it made, before she laced her fingers together and let her eyes roam over his face. Memorizing it, she took a deep breath and prepared to crush him.

"Naruto, there is no easy way to say this. So I'm just going to come out and say it." she started.

Naruto gave her a confused look. "Wait a second, Baa-chan. Shouldn't we wait until Sakura gets here? If it's that important, I'm sure she'll want to know."

Tsunade dropped her gaze to the desk as the rest of his team shuffled uncomfortably around him. A terrible feeling sunk his stomach as the Hokage spoke again, her voice barely a whisper now. "What I'm trying to tell you, Naruto, is that Sakura isn't here."

"Well, I'm sure Sakura-chan can get back from her mission in time for us to do whatever it is you want us to do. Can't she?" he asked, fighting the nausea his stomach was causing with its churning.

Kakashi laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder, stilling his questions. A pained look came over Tsunade's face, and when she answered, her voice was tight and angry. "Will you just shut up and listen, Naruto?" she ground out, tears springing to her eyes. "Sakura isn't absent because she is out on a mission. Over two months ago, she and Yamanaka Ino were kidnapped from Sakura's apartment by an unknown person. Ino returned about a week later, confirming that the kidnappers were Akatsuki, but we haven't had a single clue as to what they did with Sakura." she finished, her voice breaking as she said her apprentice's name. Fighting to control herself, she looked away, out the window to the Hokage Monument.

She didn't want to see the look on Naruto's face as comprehension dawned, even though it played perfectly in her mind. The widening eyes, the clenching fists, the trembling shoulders. From behind her his voice came, and she winced at the hurt anger in his tone.

"Wha...What?"

"Naruto, try to calm down." came the soft command from Kakashi, as he gave his shoulder a squeeze.

Shrugging off his hand, Naruto stared at his squad leader in shock. "Calm down? Calm down? She's been gone for two months,_two months_, and no one bothered to tell me! Sakura-chan's in the hands of the Akatsuki right now, going through Kami only knows what, and you want me to calm down? She's in danger! We have to go get her back, right now!" he yelled angrily.

Tsunade spoke from across the desk, her voice solid steel. "We can't."

"Why not? Don't you care about Sakura-chan? Did you even go look for her? They could be hurting her, torturing her! She could be..." Out of steam and unable to say the word aloud, Naruto suddenly crumpled to the floor, tears streaming from his blue eyes, falling from his cheeks to land on the backs of his hands. His fingers were fisted tightly in the orange material of his pants, his haori flared out on the floor around him. He suddenly wished the flames on it could consume him until this feeling was gone and there was nothing left. He slowly started rocking back and forth, the same thought running through his head over and over again. '...Not dead. Oh, Kami, tell me she's not dead.'

Tsunade spun around and jumped back to her feet, slamming her fists on the desk, a resounding crack of wood making the rest of the ninja jump. "Of course we looked for her!" she shouted back. "Kakashi spent nearly a month straight out there searching, using the ninkin dogs until they were all exhausted and ready to drop!"

Kakashi just shook his head at her, then nodded to where Naruto sat in the floor, in utter defeat. He hadn't heard a word she just said. He was locked in a mental battle with himself, fighting the shock, sorrow and anger that hit him in waves. Long minutes passed, and no one moved. They just kept watching him, waiting for his next reaction. And true to the fox ninja's nature, he recovered as quickly as he had collapsed. His hands still clenched in fists, he rose to his feet, and locked gazes with Tsunade.

"I'm going to go get Sakura-chan." he told her, his tone completely unyielding.

Tsunade sighed. The easy part was over, now came the hard part. "I told you, Naruto, we can't do that."

"Why not?" he asked, his face already telling her he would reject any reason she had for not letting him go.

"Because it's too dangerous. The village is under a lockdown, the only ninja allowed to leave are the ones going on essential missions. Even training is restricted to inside the walls only." Kakashi explained for the Hokage.

Tsunade nodded. "These precautions were taken because the Akatsuki have turned their attention to Konoha, and they are dangerously close to capturing all of the biju. And you arrived just in time, I was planning on recalling you this afternoon. We received an emergency messenger bird from Kumogakure this morning. There was a battle just outside the Land of Lightning. An entire cell of Kumo ANBU are dead, and Killer Bee, the eight-tail's jinchuriki and the brother of the Raikage, has gone missing. Several pieces of a torn Akatsuki cloak were found nearby, and Kumo fears the worst. Which means, it is absolutely imperative that you stay here where we can protect you. You are the last jinchuriki left in the world."

Naruto looked at her for a long time, letting her words sink in, and pondering what to say. His uncharacteristic silence disturbed everyone present, and more quiet shifting went around the room until he began shaking his head. "No, Baa-chan. I can't just sit around hiding in the shadows, waiting on them to come for me. If they have Sakura-chan, I have to go get her. She would do the same thing for me."

Tsunade mimicked his head shake. "I'm sorry, Naruto. In this you have no choice, and no amount of persuading will change my mind. There is just too great a risk of you being captured for me to let you go. And if that happens, war will break out, and innocent people will die. Thousands of them. Sakura would understand this, and agree to be left behind. It hurts me to say it, but we cannot save her."

Taking a deep breath, Naruto opened his mouth to yell at the Hokage, when his tirade was interrupted by the banging of the office door. A breathless ANBU ran in, hand clutched to his chest, sweat pouring down his unmasked face. "Hokage-sama! An intruder has been detected in the village!"

Just as he spoke, an explosion sounded from the far edge of the village. The ground vibrated beneath their feet, and the bottle of sake on the desk suddenly broke, sending glass and alcohol everywhere. Narrowing her eyes at the ANBU, Tsunade tried to keep her head clear as the moment she had been dreading for months had finally arrived.

"...Akatsuki." she whispered to herself.

The whole room tensed at the revelation, the ninja pulling kunai from their pouches and awaiting the next order from the Hokage. The action seemed to snap Tsunade out of her freeze, and an angry look came into her eyes as she started barking out orders. "Sai, get into the air. I want intel, now. How many there are, what they are doing, everything you can find out, no matter how small. Send word back to me by your ink birds."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Running to the window, Sai slid the pane of glass open and jumped out, pulling a scroll and ink from his pouch as he fell. Moments later, a blur of black and white climbed passed the window as he rose into the air on his ink hawk.

"Kakashi, gather as many of the jounin and chunin as you can. Set up defensive positions at the academy, hospital, prison and here. And send the leftover ninja to find these assholes and eliminate them!" Tsunade commanded, her voice rising as adrenaline poured through her.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kakashi gave a quick bow and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"And you!" she said to the ANBU still standing in the doorway. "Alert the hospital to the attack so they can be ready. And tell Shizune to get there as quickly as she can!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." he replied before sliding his mask into place.

Before he could get turned around, a blur raced by the open doorway, Shizune's voice carrying back to them. "I'm already on it, Tsunade-sama!"

"Good. Then go gather as many ANBU as you can and aid Kakashi in the search for the intruders." Tsunade commanded.

"Hai." With that, the ANBU disappeared.

"Yamato, you stick with Naruto, and Naruto, you're staying here with me."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Yamato replied.

"What?" Naruto thundered, slapping his hands on Tsunade's desk. "Baa-chan, you have to let me fight! These bastards killed Gaara, they were after Sasuke, they killed Jiraiya-sensei, and now they have Sakura-chan! I will not stand by while they attack Konoha looking for me!"

Tsunade watched as that look came over Naruto's face. The one he wore when things were at their worst and only his sheer determination could pull him through. The Will of Fire burning brightly from his soul, he stared her down, his mouth turned in a grim frown, unshed tears shining in his eyes. He was an impenetrable wall of emotion, and nothing she could say would get through to him. Tsunade sighed. She was entirely too soft for her own good. "Fine, but you stay with me at all times. If you don't, you'll spend the next hundred years locked in a cell at ANBU headquarters. And we wait for Sai's reports. We will not go rushing blindly out there to have our asses handed to us. Maybe if we surprise them with Konoha's best, we can catch them off guard."

Naruto gave her a beaming smile and punched the air. "Hell yeah! Now you're talking, Baa-chan!"

Tsunade just shook her head, cleared the glass off her desk and prayed that everything turned out the way she hoped it would.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Pein's Deva path stood just outside Konoha's chakra barrier, the other paths and Konan gathered behind him. It was finally time. He had gotten word by way of Zetsu that the eight-tails had been captured and would be sealed tomorrow. The corners of his mouth tugged upward into a small smile. By the time the day was out, the last jinchuriki would be in his possession and the world could come to peace. Glancing back at his angel, he beckoned her to his side. When she neared, he explained the plan. "We'll divide into two groups. Konan, you are with me, Ningendo, and Jigokudo. We will search for the nine tails while the rest serves as a distraction to draw the enemy ninja away. Chikushodo will go in first, and summon the rest of us so they won't know how many there are for a little while. Work quickly, the element of surprise won't last long."

Konan nodded her understanding as Chikushodo and Shurado stepped forward. The only female path, Chikushodo was small and light, and Shurado had no trouble launching her high into the air, heading straight for the heart of Konoha. As soon as she entered the barrier, she finished the hand seals and summoned the other paths and Konan. Their feet hit the ground simultaneously and an instant later they were gone, racing through the village. Konan was about to take off in the direction of the hospital when the Deva Path grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop.

"Stay with me."

Raising an eyebrow at his uncharacteristic request, Konan nodded. The Deva Path gave her arm a little squeeze before he let her go, turning to run down the street towards the Hokage Tower. A little unsettled, the blue haired kunoichi followed after him, trying to shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Whether it was the mission, the village, or Pain himself, she just wasn't sure. Seconds later, she heard an explosion sound. Pein's Asura Path had begun his assault. Checking the side streets for threats, Konan noted how quiet it was. It was the middle of the day, but the streets were practically empty. Had they somehow known they were coming?

The feeling of unease increased as a shadow passed overhead. Glancing up as she ran, Konan saw the underside of a great black bird. It was shaped like a hawk, but it looked shiny and wet, as if it would melt out of the sky at any moment. Figuring it was a jutsu of one of the Konoha nins, she reached into her pouch and grabbed a handful of paper. Infusing it with her chakra, she threw them up into the air. The sheets of paper folded in on themselves, until they looked like cranes. Zooming upward, the birds pursued the hawk.

Konan continued to follow Pein as he made his way through the village. Through her chakra, she could see the cranes as they neared the strange bird in the sky. As the first one made contact, it collided with the wet material, soaking the paper and sending it careening to the ground. It was ink. Interesting jutsu, she thought to herself. Sending the second bird higher, she was surprised to find a shinobi perched on top of the bird, a scroll in one hand, paintbrush in the other. He was as pale as her paper, his hair and eyes as dark as the bird he rode on. She watched in dismay as a smaller version of the ink hawk lifted itself from the scroll and took flight, heading towards the Hokage's tower. Then the ninja looked at her cranes, and seconds later she lost her vision of him as the paper birds were destroyed.

Speeding up to reach Pein's side, she caught his attention. "Pein-sama, they know we are here. They have a shinobi above us gathering information."

Pein just looked at her, completely unconcerned. "It matters not." he said. "They will soon learn that all their efforts to protect the nine-tails are futile."

Bolstered by his confidence, Konan nodded. They had just passed the fifth block of buildings when the village seemed to come alive. Civilians and ninja alike were running everywhere, scattering in all directions. More explosions sounded and one of Chikushodo's summoned animals went scurrying past, two ninja desperately trying to halt its progress. An ANBU in a wolf mask made the mistake of coming too close, and Pein caught him around the neck as he came to a halt, using his strength to lift the man off his feet. Squeezing until he was gasping for air, Pein questioned him. "Where is the nine-tails, Uzumaki Naruto?"

Coughing hard, the shinobi replied. "I'm not telling you anything."

"Do you wish for death?"

"Of course not. But if dying will protect Konoha, then I gladly welcome it. So piss off!" the ANBU choked out.

"Very well." Pein closed his hand tighter, watching the shinobi suffocate with an almost bored expression on his face. When the last breath had left his body, the slain ninja was dropped roughly to the ground.

Turning to continue onward, Pein was stopped by the sight of two very powerful, very angry ninja. They were standing in the road, kunai drawn, their bodies crouched to attack at any second. He recognized them both immediately. One was the kunoichi, Tsunade, Hokage of Konoha. The other surprised him. It was Uzumaki Naruto, the host of the nine tailed fox demon he sought. Either they hadn't realized what he was here for, or they were very, very stupid. If he were the Hokage, he would have locked Uzumaki in a dungeon somewhere far away from harm, not put him directly in the path of the ninja who were looking for him. He could sense a third ninja on the roof above them, evidently there for support. Instructing the other paths to converge at his location, the Deva Path assessed his opponents for a weakness. Glancing at their faces, he noted their expressions. The Hokage's eyes were cool and deadly, the angry glint in them making her look every inch the trained killer she was. Uzumaki's were full of emotion. In fact, he looked as if he would start crying at any second.

Good, Pein thought. He could use that emotion to bring Naruto over to him. And if that didn't work, there was always force. But it was better to avoid the violence if at all possible. He was a god of peace after all. Pulling himself up to his full height, he addressed them. "Tsunade, last of the legendary Sannin. Turn Naruto over to me, and spare your village from destruction."

The Hokage's eyes widened in recognition as they passed between him and Konan. "You two. I remember you. From Amegakure."

"I'm pleased that you recognized us after such a long time. But we are no longer the children that Jiraiya took under his wing. We are strong in a weak world of war, and we want to better it. Will you do what is right and let us lead humanity to peace?"

Before the Hokage had time to answer, Naruto was shouting at him. "Why the hell should we trust you? You just killed a ninja in cold blood! How peaceful is that? And what about Sakura-chan? What point was there in kidnapping her? You didn't have to hurt her! She didn't do anything to you!"

"Naruto, shut up!" Tsunade hissed, grabbing him by the back of his jacket as he tried to launch himself forward.

"But...Baa-chan! Let me go! I have to avenge Sakura-chan!"

Pein and Konan watched as the Hokage tried to restrain Naruto. Finally after several minutes, he relented, falling to his knees, the tears that were shining earlier now streaking down his face. Something stirred in Pein at seeing him sitting there, something that was akin to pity, if he was still capable of such emotions. Luckily, he had transcended those weaknesses long ago. Still, he could definitely use this situation to his advantage. Taking a half step forward, he spoke. "I assure you, Naruto, that Sakura is just fine. If you come with me of your own free will, you can see it for yourself."

Pein watched as the shadow of doubt crossed the blonde's face. Then the anger was back, hotter than ever. "Liar! Sakura-chan would come back if she was able to!"

Pein turned and looked at his partner, who had been standing quietly behind him. "Konan."

Konan stepped forward, her amber eyes wary. She hated being the center of attention. "It's true." she said quietly. "Sakura isn't being locked up and tortured, and she is far from dead. We've been friends since she came to us. She likes to read, especially medical texts. She has a short temper and can punch hard enough to break bones. She likes dango and other sweet foods...shall I go on?"

Naruto just stared at Konan, shocked at her description of his teammate. His jaw opened and closed several times before he could speak. "It's not true, it can't be true. Sakura wouldn't abandon us."

"Naruto, don't be stupid." Tsunade bit out, her voice cracking under unseen emotion. "It's obvious that there's more to it than what they are telling us. She's alive, I'm certain of that now, but she wouldn't just stay with them when she could come back to Konoha. She takes her duties as a ninja far more seriously than that." Glaring at Pein, she continued. "So, was she successful in reviving Hidan?"

Pein and Konan just stared at them, neither denying or confirming the Hokage's suspicions. The orange haired shinobi tilted his head as he felt the other five paths fall in behind him. Two of them had been damaged in battle already, but not enough to hinder them. Stepping forward until Konan was once again behind him, Pein beckoned to Naruto. "We are telling the truth. Whether or not you believe us is irrelevant. This is your last chance. Come with me, or I will force you, and everyone you love will die."

"Naruto nii-san's not going anywhere!" an angry voice shouted as a blur landed in front of Tsunade, white scarf fluttering to a halt behind him. Straightening as he drew a kunai, Konohamaru glared at Pein.

The Hokage stared down at the genin in front of her. Had the child lost his mind? "Konohamaru, you idiot! Get the hell out of here before you get killed!"

Two more blurs raced by her, and Konohamaru's teammates stood on either side of him, kunai in hand. "Sorry, Baa-chan. But I'm the only one allowed to defeat Naruto when I become Hokage!" Konohamaru replied, standing fast.

"Hey! Who says you're going to win?" Naruto narrowed his eyes and sulked.

"I'm afraid he's right, Tsunade-sama. Even though he is a troublesome baka, Naruto is one of us, and we won't let him go." Shikamaru said as he dropped from the nearest building to stand in front of the genin team. Ino and Choji arrived moments later, skidding to a halt beside him. With a battle cry, Kiba and Akamaru bound over to them from the nearest cross street, Shino running to keep up with his exuberant teammate.

Twin blurs of green heralded the arrival of Gai and Lee seconds later. "The power of youth will burn you like a bright fire that never extinguishes! You will be overcome!" they shouted in unison as they stopped in front of Kiba, fists raised in the air. Tenten and Neji dropped into a defensive crouch on either side of them, the kunoichi muttering something about having 'the most moronic team in all of Konoha'.

Silence hung in the air for several moments as Pein and Konan took in the sight of the ninja before them. Then movement from the back of the group caught their attention. A flash of silver and green, moving slowly, made it's way around the gathering to stand in front of them. Pein recognized him instantly as Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja. He was strolling nonchalantly along, a small book in one hand, the other in his pocket. When he finally stopped beside Guy, he broke his attention from his book and gave them a bored look before turning to his longtime rival.

"Well, Gai. There are seven of them. I guess this means we'll finally be able to break that tie."

"Yes! Our youthful competition will invigorate us and they will not stand a chance!" Gai shouted. A loud sound made Kakashi glance over to see Tenten smacking herself in the forehead in frustration.

The Deva Path pulled a kunai from his cloak as the other paths stepped forward, preparing for attack. "Your display of loyalty is touching. However it will not matter. You will all fall before the six paths of Pain. The only question is, who is going to go first?"

"I will." said a soft feminine voice from behind him. Turning, Pein was surprised to see a kunoichi standing there alone, kunai drawn. She had the pale eyes of the Hyuuga Clan, long black hair and a petite frame. Her Byakugan was activated, and he could see the outline of chakra that surrounded her in a protective layer.

Pein gave her a puzzled look. "Why would you choose to attack alone, knowing that you cannot survive so far away from your friends?"

A small smile formed on the kunoichi's lips and she blushed. "I am not alone. As long as Naruto-kun is here, smiling, I will never be alone. He is my strength, the road that keeps my feet going in the right direction. And it's not just me, the entire village needs him. I will die before I let you take him away from us."

"I see. You love him."

"Yes, I love him." she whispered as she launched herself forward, the smile still on her face.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Foolish kunoichi." Pein stated as Hinata closed in on him. Lifting his free arm and spreading his palm outward, he used his chakra to draw her to him. The force of the jutsu lifted her off her feet. Just when she would have collided with him, he sidestepped, and without anything to stop her, she went careening headlong into a surprised Kakashi. The protective barrier of chakra fell as he caught her, but not before ripping a long gash in his jounin vest. They slid backwards to a halt. Straightening as he set her on her feet, Hinata crouched, unfazed and ready to attack again.

"That is the last bit of mercy you will get. Hand over Uzumaki. Now." Pein ordered with a glare. The only reply he received was determined stares and defensive postures.

Konan, who had been watching from a few feet away, glanced upward as a familiar shadow passed overhead. It was the shinobi on the ink bird. Turning to Pein, she inclined her head. "More company, Pein-sama."

Without bothering to turn his head and look at her, he replied. "Take care of it. The others will deal with the bunshin, and I'll apprehend the jinchuriki."

From the crowd of leaf ninja in front of him, a long-haired blonde spoke, her mouth turned down in a pout. "Aww, what gave us away?" she asked.

Pein's silver eyes bored into hers. "I see everything."

His patience at an end, Pein took the offensive. Four of the paths suddenly vanished, transporting themselves to hidden vantage points around the street. Chikushodo remained standing next to the Deva Path and began forming the hand seals for her first summon. As the giant centipede appeared in a puff of smoke, the Leaf shinobi attacked. Tsunade, Kakashi and Naruto stood back and watched, evidently conserving their strength until the clone's chakra ran out or they were all destroyed.

Following his lead, Konan manifested her paper wings, and raising her arms, lifted herself into the air. When the people beneath her looked like they were the size of large ants, she stopped. The ninja that was now her target was cruising on his ink hawk almost fifty yards away, staring down at the scene unfolding below. Using the distraction, she closed the distance between them. Lifting his head, her opponent spotted her approach and circled higher, drawing her well out of range of the other shinobi. Being below him was a severe disadvantage, so Konan climbed with him, stopping when she had drawn even to his bird again.

Hands in the open to show he held no weapons, he guided his hawk close enough to her to speak. Meeting his gaze, Konan saw a flicker of anger shoot through his eyes before it disappeared into a mask of indifference. "Tell me the location of Haruno Sakura." he demanded in a steady voice.

"Who are you?"she asked, her stoic expression mirroring his.

"Sai."

Sai. According to Zetsu's information, he was one of the shinobi assigned to Sakura's team, and a former member of ANBU's Root Division. The rumors about Root held that their ninja were relentless and unfeeling, trained almost from birth to obey every order to the letter without hesitation or remorse. With such a lack of emotion or fear, she was certain he would not be easy to defeat. But she had seen a crack in his facade of steel just before he mentioned Sakura's name. So despite the conditioning, he still felt something. Maybe she could use this to find a weak point and gain the upper hand.

She managed a small smile before she answered his question. "I'm sorry, Sai, but I cannot tell you. However, I can tell you she is well. And I'm sure she would not want us to fight. So why don't you let us complete our objective here and leave with as little trouble as possible?"

His face was completely expressionless as he drew a brush out of his weapons pouch. "You are an enemy of Konoha, and I can not let you continue with your mission."

Unrolling the scroll he carried in his hand, he quickly began to draw, keeping one eye on her at all times. His training had held, so it was time to move on to more persuasive means. Reaching into her pouch as her face returned to its blank state, Konan pulled out another handful of paper. After infusing them with her chakra, she swiftly folded them, creating her paper shuriken. Making sure they were adequate for battle, Konan threw them at the pale shinobi. Finishing his jutsu, Sai pulled his brush back and formed a seal, releasing his drawing into the air. As the ink dragon lifted itself off the paper, her shuriken reached him. Pulling to the right, he managed to dodge them all but one, which was deflected with a quickly drawn kunai.

As the black beast rose and spread its inky wings, Konan formed a series of hand seals, creating a paper clone before dropping through the air. When she was out of sight below, she flew forward, under the belly of the ink hawk to emerge on the other side. Sai's back was now to her, his eyes watching his jutsu as it began its attack. She watched as the dragon flew straight at her clone. The impact was quiet, and with a soft squelch, her bunshin dissolved into thousands of slips of paper, which caught in the air before drifting downward to shower on the battling shinobi below them. Just as Sai realized what had happened, Konan lifted her wings, aimed the tips at him, and shot her paper feathers at him, the deadly points heading right for his chest.

A soft woosh had his head twisting in her direction, just in time to see the projectiles coming at him. Reacting quickly, he dropped his kunai and uncapped his bottle of ink, splashing the liquid into the air. Lifting his hand to his face, he concentrated his chakra. The ink slowed its motion, seemed to adhere to an invisible surface, and created a barrier that deflected her attack. It wasn't large, only protecting his vital areas, and several feathers made it through, piercing his shoulders and one thigh. His eyes narrowed, but he gave no other outward sign of pain as he reached out and removed them, dropping the now harmless feathers over the side of his hawk to land with the rest of the paper on the ground.

Glancing towards the battle below, Konan was dismayed to see Pein surrounded by a sea of orange. She had to hurry and finish this so she could assist him with the retrieval of the nine tails. Creating another clone, she slipped below just as Sai threw several kunai at her, exploding tags attached to the hilts. She was in position before they hit, and right before they reached her doppelganger, it burst into a shower of paper. The slips folded into cranes, and now a cloud of projectiles, zoomed towards Sai. Breaking into two groups, they surrounded him. He unrolled his scroll and started furiously drawing, but he didn't have time to finish as the cranes closed in on him. As a unit they attacked, and although she couldn't hear the impact, she could easily see the multitude of gashes the birds created as they scored hit after hit on him. A stifled cry of pain slipped from his lips, and he dropped his scroll as he began defending himself against her jutsu.

The cranes hit his hawk as well, and no longer able to maintain it's form, the large bird exploded in a shower of black liquid. With nothing to support him but open air, Sai was sent plummeting to the ground. Following him down, Konan watched as he hit the street with a sickening thud. He landed on his back, arms splayed wide, eyes closed. Edging closer, Konan watched in surprise as his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. He wasn't dead. She hovered above him for several minutes, making sure he wasn't getting back up. Satisfied that he was defeated, she rose back into the air to look for Pein. Her partner would have no qualms about finishing him off, but she had never seen the point in killing someone who was no longer a threat.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Pein had to admit it to himself. It had been a long time since he had orchestrated a battle as complicated as this one. The majority of the paths' chakra was going to Chikushodo, who had turned the street into a jungle on the rampage. Her rhino summon was engaging Chouji Akimichi's clone in a contest of strength, tearing up the surrounding area and spraying dust and debris into the air. A cloud of praying mantis hovered in the air, taking on the massive swarm of insects coming from the jacketed ninja standing silently to the side, watching the progress of the battle from behind his dark sunglasses. The replicating Cerberus had just pounced on the dog ninja, and they furiously tore into each other, the noise from their fight nearly deafening. Pein's eyebrow raised in a rare display of surprise as a rasengan-wielding brunette went charging through the crowd, wearing nothing but a black bikini, white scarf and heels. A disgruntled looking redhead followed after her, shouting angrily and knocking everyone and everything out of her way with a well-aimed punch.

Naruto had not stood idly by for long, creating a virtual army of clones to assist his comrades. It looked like things were going to turn in Leaf's favor, until Pein ordered the other paths in to help. Shurado began picking off some of the clones with his missile-like projectiles while Gakido stepped in to absorb some of the more powerful jutsu their opponents were creating. Ningendo and Jigokudo stayed hidden and watched his target, their special abilities useless until they discovered the location of the shinobi directing the clones. It was a good thing they did, because Naruto was lost from Pein's sight amid the dust, insects, and the slips of paper that kept raining down from Konan's battle overhead.

One by one, the Leaf clones were defeated, each one popping out of existence with a poof of smoke. As the last one was destroyed, the child with the scarf, the paths that were fighting made their way back to his side. He had won this round. But it had not come without a heavy price. He had used more chakra than he would have liked, and Shurado and Gakido had taken quite a lot of damage in the fight. The former had lost several arms, and one of his faces was hanging at a funny angle. Nearly all of the summoned creatures were either destroyed or disabled. But at long last, the debris-filled street was cleared, leaving only Tsunade, Kakashi, Naruto and the Hyuuga kunoichi standing opposite him. Now that everything had calmed down somewhat, he tentatively reached out with his chakra. Konan was there, and evidently she was unharmed. Her chakra was steady and strong, and he could feel her physical presence overhead. Good. Without her help, he might actually have to withdraw from this next battle without the kyuubi.

Glancing up to sway the others' attention with him, he spoke. "Konan. Find the other shinobi. Take Ningendo and Jigokudo with you and destroy them. Their chakra will be low and they shouldn't present much of a problem."

With a nod, Konan dissolved into hundreds of paper butterflies. They dispersed, spreading out over the village in a cloud. The two paths emerged from where they were watching, and headed out, following Konan's strongest chakra signature. Turning towards Tsunade, Pein spoke. "Choose, Hokage. Will you protect one shinobi at the cost of the village you swore to defend?"

Glaring at him, Tsunade formed a set of hand seals and slammed her hand to the ground. Moments later, the giant slug, Katsuyu, towered over them. "Katsuyu!" the Hokage shouted, "It's time! You know what to do."

Lifting herself as high as she would go, Katsuyu sucked in a deep breath. Letting it out, she released a wave of acid before her body collapsed into hundreds of miniature versions of herself. They swiftly disappeared, seeking out the villagers and hidden shinobi. The acid had nearly reached Pein when he lifted his hand. Repelling the attack, the liquid was sent back towards Tsunade. Reacting quickly, Kakashi jumped to the front and lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan. The air seemed to distort, and suddenly, the acid was sucked away into nothingness. Breathless, the Copy-nin stepped back.

Pein frowned. He had hoped that the Hokage would be drawn away. But his gamble wasn't a complete loss. Her attention and chakra were still divided. And the other two paths were now deep in battle with the real Leaf shinobi. But his chakra would be running dangerously low soon. This had to end quickly. The air stirred behind him as Konan reformed and stepped up to him. He didn't look at her, but kept his eyes on their target. Naruto was forming hand seals while arguing with the Hokage, and presently three giant toads stood behind him, ready to attack. Their entry stirred up the slips of paper that lay strewn on the ground, creating a whirlwind. An idea formed in his head.

Looking at his partner, he narrowed his eyes. "Konan, it's about time we wrapped things up here and head back home."

Nodding in understanding, Konan manifested her wings, and rose to hover a few inches above the ground. Chikushodo summoned her chameleon, and at the same time, Shurado and Gakido rushed forward, launching a simultaneous attack. The toads went after the chameleon and Tsunade, Kakashi Hinata and Naruto countered the other two paths. The latter was in sage mode now, and if he hadn't pulled the now legless Cerberus in front of him, Pein would have been annihilated by a massive rasengan that was launched in his direction. But even after that attack, he made no move to join in the battle. All he needed to do was be patient a little longer.

Then the moment he had been waiting for arrived. The Hyuuga was hit by a lethal blow from Shurado, falling to the ground with a cry. Tsunade blasted Gakido back before running to help her. Kakashi, getting low on chakra, was assisting the toads with Chikushodo, who had released several more summons to fight. Naruto, angry that the kunoichi was down, jumped into the air, launching his rasen-shuriken at Shurado, even as his sage chakra was dwindling.

Lifting his arm, Pein released his jutsu, pulling Naruto to him. Before the others could come to his rescue, Konan lifted her arms, sending the loose paper that lay on the ground into a flurry. The slips were still infused with her chakra, giving her an advantage that only the two of them had realized. Half of the swirling paper created a blinding wall, preventing the Leaf ninja from coming after them. The other half wrapped around Naruto, effectively pinning his arms and legs together as he flew through the air, leaving only his face visible. He landed on the ground in front of Pein with a thud.

Struggling hard, Naruto fought with all his might. Glaring up at them, his eyes narrowed, gaining a feral look as the whisker markings on his cheeks became more prominent. The kyuubi's chakra began leaking out in a shroud of red, forcing the paper bindings to loosen. Leaning down quickly, Pein hit him on the back of his neck, rendering the jinchuriki unconscious. As his eyes rolled up in his head, a high pitched cry sounded from the other side of the paper wall as the Hyuuga regained consciousness and realized that Naruto was gone.

Hefting the nine-tails to his shoulder, Pein turned around. "Let's go." he said to Konan.

"What about the others?"

"Necessary losses. They can be replaced."

Without further comment, they took off at a run, making their way down the streets of Konoha without interference. They had nearly made it to the gates when a figure stepped into their path. He was an older man, with bandages over one eye and one arm leaning on a cane, while the other was either gone or bound beneath the black robe he wore to cover the right side of his body. He was completely unafraid, stepping forward, anger evident on his features. Pein and Konan came to a halt as a dozen ANBU circled them. Dropping to a defensive crouch, they waited to be attacked. They were surprised when no one moved. Finally, the old man spoke.

"What is the meaning of this?" he shouted. "What about our agreement?"

"I know nothing of an agreement with you." Pein stated calmly.

"Of course you do! Madara-san promised me the title of Hokage in exchange for handing over information on the nine-tails! But your end of the deal isn't finished. You were supposed to kill Tsunade-hime!"

"Again. I know nothing of which you speak. I have completed my objective and I am leaving." Pein said, stepping forward. The ANBU tensed.

"Shall we attack, Danzou-sama?" the one closest to the old man asked.

Konan froze and Pein's steps stilled as recognition dawned on them. Danzou. The man in league with Hanzo and the last one responsible for Yahiko's death still living. Painful memories threatened to overwhelm the blue-haired kunoichi when Pein's icy voice snapped her out of it. "Konan."

"Yes?"

"Take the nine-tails and get ready to head back. I'll catch up to you shortly."

"But..." She was cut off as he looked at her, his face as impassive as ever, but his silver eyes were pure molten fury. There was no getting through to him when he looked like that. Without another word, she took Naruto's unconscious body in both arms, and with several flaps of her paper wings, was over the gateposts and flying above the trees.

After she was gone, Pein recalled the chakra from the other paths, and they dropped to the ground, lifeless shells once more. No doubt the shinobi still fighting them would be relieved. Lifting his arm, he drew Danzou to him. When he reached him, Pein grabbed him by the front of his robe, lifting him off the ground. The ANBU drew their swords, edging closer, but refraining from attacking. Pein ignored them completely, his attention on the man in his grasp. The old man stared steadily at him, seemingly still unafraid. But Pein didn't miss the flash of apprehension in his eyes, or the slight shaking of his hand as he tried to free himself.

Gripping him tighter, Pein stared him straight in the eyes, his voice murderous. "Do you know me, Danzou?"

"You are Pein-san."

"That's right. I am Pain. I had another name once. A long time ago. Do you remember what it was?" Pein asked, his voice dripping with malice.

"No. I don't know. Now stop playing games and release me." Danzou demanded.

"You don't know. Well, we will have to open your eyes. And then, once you have faced your pain, you will remember." Twisting his arm, Pein spun Danzou around to face the ANBU, bringing his arm across his neck to hold him. He dropped his voice to a whisper as he spoke in Danzou's ear. "These ANBU. They're from Root, aren't they? Trained to do whatever you tell them to without pause. Well, Danzou, if I kill you right now, they would attack me, and they might even win. But where would you be? All the things you worked for would go washing down the drain. Konoha would never be yours, because you would be rotting in Hell. And then my Angel would destroy your precious village in her anger. Nothing would stop her from avenging the two people she loved the most."

"What do you want?" Danzou hissed.

"All you have to do, is show me what your ANBU are made of. Tell them to kill each other and I'll let you go when there is one man left. If not, you die where you stand."

"I can't do that!" Danzou cried out loud. Several of the ANBU jumped at the sound of his distressed voice, gripping their swords even tighter.

"Sure you can. It's no more than you asked of me once. It's either them or you. Make your choice."

Danzou slowly turned his head to look at Pein as memories from long ago surfaced. A secret meeting with Hanzo. Three young ninja from Amegakure who were too nice, too good, for the power they had attained. All the color drained from his face as recognition dawned. "But...it can't be. It can't be you. You were the one who died."

Pein gave him a bitter smile. "You have one minute to make up your mind."

As Danzou stood there in indecision, Pein could hear the sounds of the leaf shinobi regrouping in the village behind him. Giving Danzou's neck a little squeeze, Pein whispered in his ear. "Better hurry, before the rest of Konoha finds out what you've been up to."

Clenching his hand into a tight fist, Danzou swallowed hard. "ANBU. I order you to ...to kill each other. Leave none alive." he said, his voice hard and angry.

The ninja around them stiffened slightly, then stood as a unit. True to their training, they turned on each other. Pein watched unflinching as one by one, they put their katana through each other's hearts before slumping to the ground, unresisting of their wounds. Danzou stood there as well, never moving, until only one Root ANBU remained. He went to run his sword across his own neck when Danzou lifted his hand. "Stop!" he shouted. The ANBU obediently lowered his weapon.

Pein said nothing, but let go of Danzou and stepped back. The relief was visible on the old man's face. In fact, a small smile had made it's way onto his face when Pein stepped in front of him, drew a kunai, and in one swipe, opened his throat. He had turned around and was walking away before the first drop of blood hit the ground. A gurgling sound emanated from behind him before Danzou hit the ground with a soft thud. The remaining ANBU stared at him in shock as he passed. Pein just stared back.

"Konoha has no need of a leader that is willing to sacrifice his men for his own gain without a second thought. Such cruelty only leads to more war." Then he was gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura walked briskly down the hallway, heading for the training rooms. Kisame was already there, waiting for her. A smirk crossed her face. She fully intended to give the shark ninja the fight of his life, no holds barred. Actually, she was surprised that he had agreed to fight her at all. It had been nearly a week since they had sealed the hachibi, and her nerves and temper were getting the better of her. She just couldn't stand waiting around for Pein and Konan to make it back so she would have news on Naruto. And it showed, even if only Hidan knew why. There were now several new cracks in the wall that needed mending thanks to Karin and her insistence on being irritating. Suigetsu and Kisho practically hid every time she walked by, and Juugo gave her that look that a patient father would give to a screaming child. Sasuke ignored her completely, and Kisame did his best to rile her at every chance.

Which was why she was on her way to fight him now. At breakfast he taunted her, then again while she was playing pool, trying to do anything to relieve her restlessness. Finally, when he started up again at lunch, she had had enough and told him if he didn't shut his mouth she would do it with a fist to the face. He just smirked at her and told her to 'bring it on, zombie chick.'

Hidan, of course, was having a field day with her attitude. As soon as they would settle down in their room in the evenings, he would say something to provoke her, and she would respond with an insult or an outright threat. Then he would tackle her on the bed, and a chakra-enhanced wrestling match would ensue, liberally laced with shouted swearing, loud thuds and more than one broken piece of furniture.

When he had finally overpowered her, which he always seemed to do, more physical activity followed. This in the form of rough, unyielding sex. And it wasn't just once and then go to sleep. He pursued her until she was so thoroughly tired and sated that the effort it would take to get up and walk across the room was beyond her. By the time the noise they made had morphed into silence, they would both just lie on the bed, naked, sweaty, and on more than one occasion, bleeding heavily from numerous wounds. Then he would gather her into his arms and hold her, kissing her neck and face and telling her how fucking beautiful she was, and how blessed he was that Jashin had sent her to him. And then she would cry. Like a weak, pathetic child, she would cry as he held her, until her exhaustion took over and she fell asleep. And the next day, as soon as she walked into the kitchen to find out from Madara that Pein hadn't returned yet, her anxiety would start all over again.

She had just passed the stairwell that led to Pein's office when the sound of arguing from above shook her from her thoughts and made her pause. From what she could make out, it was Madara and Pein. They were back? Dread tightened her chest and her stomach felt like a stone. Finally, the day she had been both waiting for and fearing was here. But what about Naruto? Did he escape? Or was he lying in a dark cave somewhere, under the watchful gaze of Zetsu until they performed the sealing? Suppressing her chakra without being obvious, Sakura strained to hear what the elusive leaders of the Akatsuki were discussing.

"We can't do it tomorrow. I have to replenish my chakra and replace the bodies that were lost to Konoha." Pein stated in a voice of iron.

"You can always do that later. Besides, you have more than enough chakra for the sealing." Madara said lightly. Then, in a more menacing voice, "I'm tired of waiting, Nagato. I want this over with as soon as possible."

Nagato? Who was he talking about? Did they have someone else up there with them? The man from the secret room, maybe? Or did Pein have another name no one knew about? Pein's voice drifted back down to her, catching her attention when he mentioned the name of someone she _did_ know.

"I want to ask you about Danzou. Did you have an agreement with him involving Konoha? He seemed to think so." Madara's response was muffled, then Pein's raised voice carried his displeasure at whatever that answer was. "Why didn't you tell me where he was and that he was alive? You knew he was one of the ones. You knew we wanted him dead!"

"Calm down, Pein. Danzou was just a pawn to get close to the nine-tails. And you did get to carry out your vengeance on him, didn't you?" Madara asked, his voice back to it's light tone.

"What are you really planning, Madara?"

"...Sakura."

Jumping at the harsh tone in Konan's voice, heat rushed to Sakura's face as she turned around to see the disapproving look in the other kunoichi's eyes. Not bothering to try and explain her presence when she was so obviously caught eavesdropping, Sakura straightened. "I take it your mission was a success?" she asked, praying her voice didn't give away her nervousness.

"Yes it was. And since you're the first to know, I'd like you to tell the others that we'll be starting the kyuubi extraction tomorrow." With a nod, Sakura headed in the direction she was originally going, to the training rooms. She was halted when Konan called out to her a second time. "Oh, and Sakura?."

"Yes?"

"Don't do that again. Pein-sama is not a trusting man. If he even suspects that you would betray him, he won't hesitate to destroy you." she warned.

"I understand." Sakura swallowed hard before continuing on her way, her anxiety doubled now knowing that Naruto was caught, the Akatsuki was watching her, and she would most likely be forced to have a hand in her friend's destruction.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Mini-lemon at the end of the chapter. :)

Chapter 21

Schooling her mind into a blank state, Sakura walked into the training room. Before she had time to blink, a shuriken went whizzing by her head. She barely had time to duck when three more followed it, making her leap to the side. Kisame grinned at her expectantly from across the room. "It's about time, Zombie Chick. I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"I'm sorry, Kisame-san. We'll have to do this another time. I just came to tell you that Pein-sama is back, and that we'll be sealing the kyuubi tomorrow." she said, willing her voice to remain even.

He studied her face a minute. She couldn't read his expression, but she was sure he was measuring her reaction to this news. Apparently satisfied with what he found, he straightened up, and hefted Samehada to his shoulder. "Well, damn. But don't think you're off the hook. I fully intend to mop the floor with your pretty pink ass later. Did you tell Kisho already?"

"No. Do you know where he is?"

"I think he went to the market for supplies. I'll do it when he gets back."

"Thank you."

Giving him a grateful smile, she turned and walked out of the room, intent on finding Hidan. She knew it sounded weak, but she needed him right now. Needed his comforting presence to buffer her from the rest of the world. At that moment, she was glad Jashin had bonded them together. Without some sort of anchor, she knew she would never be able to weather this without losing her mind. Knowing Naruto was captured and could die tomorrow, not knowing the state Pein had left her home village in, and being unable to change either one...it was just too much.

Hidan had made his sacrifice to Jashin yesterday, so Sakura knew he was somewhere in the building. She checked their bedroom first. As soon as she opened the door, a blur of yellow streaked between her legs and down the hallway. Her jade eyes followed after it just in time to see Demon rounding the corner before disappearing out of sight. Glancing back in the bedroom, she was disappointed to see that it was now empty. With a sigh, she shut the door and headed to the common room. He wasn't there either.

She finally found him in the kitchen. He was facing away from her, the heavy muscles in his bare back flexing as he pulled a pan out of the cabinet. He hadn't noticed that she was there, so she stood in the doorway, letting the normalcy of the scene settle around her. He slid to the left to reach the refrigerator and pulled it open. Out came the rack of ribs that they had bought the previous day, along with a bottle of barbecue sauce. Putting the ribs in the pan, he opened the sauce and began liberally pouring it on the meat. It was only when he turned to throw the now empty bottle away that he spotted her, and grinned. It faded when he saw the look on her face. Tossing the bottle in the trash, he put the ribs in the oven and set the timer before walking over to her.

Gripping her hips, he guided her into him, and leaning down, kissed the top of her head. "They're back?" he asked, his warm breath stirring the stray pink strands as it whispered over her scalp.

"Yeah."

For once, Hidan was at a loss for words. On one hand, he was glad that they had the nine-tails. That meant that their objective was complete and they could move on to the next phase, developing the jutsu that would immerse the world in another great shinobi war. War meant he could keep fighting, and that meant a very, very pleased Jashin. But seeing the look on Sakura's face just now stirred something else in him. A desire to protect her, to keep her away from the pain that was currently reflected in her eyes. The jinchuriki was her friend, and he of all people knew what it was like to lose someone you cared deeply for.

The fact that she had not made a move against Madara yet told him that things were progressing as they were meant to. So, until she did, all he could do was be there for her. Tightening his grip on her waist, he kissed her forehead and looked into her violet-laced green eyes. "Have faith. Jashin-sama knows what he's doing." he said for both of them.

…...

"...Sakura-san."

Sakura turned her head to find Madara leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. Her heart started beating a little more rapidly. Did he know that she had overheard his argument with Pein and want to talk to her about it? He looked relaxed enough, but since he had the entire Akatsuki fooled into believing he was Tobi for years, it was hard to tell. Stepping back and turning around, she inclined her head. "Madara-sama."

"What the fuck do you want?" Hidan said from behind her, as irritated as she was that they were being interrupted.

Uncrossing his arms and straightening up, Madara looked at the Jashinist. Sakura wished she could see the expression on his face. That mask really hid a lot. "Mind your tone, Hidan-san." he chided before turning to her. "Let's go spar."

Spar? Immediately on alert, Sakura tensed. "But what about tomorrow? Shouldn't we be resting up for the jutsu?"

"We'll stick to taijutsu only, no chakra. Besides, you look like you could use the stress relief. C'mon, it'll be fun." he said, his voice suddenly taking on a lighter tone.

Sakura glanced back at Hidan. His face was completely unreadable, giving away no clues as to how she should respond. So, the decision was all on her. Maybe this was it. The moment Jashin told her about. But even as she thought it, it seemed off. Well, even if the time wasn't right, she couldn't exactly refuse. If he did know she heard him earlier, it would look suspicious of her to avoid him. And maybe she could learn something about him that would help her later. Besides all that, he was the head of the Akatsuki, and her boss. He could tell her to stand on her head and whistle for an hour and she was supposed to obey without question. Swallowing her nervousness, she nodded.

"Great! Let's go." he said as he turned and stepped back into the hallway.

Sakura started following him out the door. After Madara had turned the corner, she looked back at Hidan. He gave her a reassuring smile before waving her off. Giving him a small nod in return, she walked out of sight. Madara was already far ahead of her, and she had to hurry to catch up. He said nothing as she fell into step beside him. It only took a few minutes to get there, but with the oppressive silence, it seemed like an eternity. At last, they reached their now deserted destination. As soon as Sakura walked through the doorway, a jutsu activated. She could tell it encompassed the whole room, but she wasn't entirely sure what it did. She gave Madara a wary look as he turned to face her.

"What is this?"

"I don't like interruptions." he said in a clipped voice.

Sakura stared at him silently. She was getting a really strong feeling that this would be no ordinary sparring session. But when he charged forward, it was measured and relaxed, with no hint of malice or unnatural glee. And when he drew back to throw the first punch, her body sprang into action and she easily blocked him. Okay, so she would take this one moment at a time. As long as he stuck with what he said, she would be fine. If he tried to pull anything, however, she wouldn't hesitated to beat him to death. After a couple more moves, Madara struck up a conversation.

"You've done well with us, Sakura-san. I must say I'm impressed."

"Thank you, Madara-sama." she replied after jumping over a sweeping kick.

"And I'm sure that with your inquisitive mind, you'll enjoy your missions once the kyuubi is extracted."

Was that a hint that he did know she was eavesdropping? Deciding to take it at face value just in case it wasn't, she aimed a punch at his midsection and spoke. "Why is that?"

"Oh, dear. Has no one explained to you what we're doing with the biju?"

"No." she replied, dodging a roundhouse kick that would have knocked her senseless.

"We'll have to rectify that now. Do you know what the ultimate goal of the Akatsuki is?"

World domination was the first thing that popped in her head, but she doubted he would call it that. So she stuck with a simpler answer. "No."

Catching her foot as it was about to connect with his head, Madara twisted it, forcing her to cartwheel as she pulled it from his grasp. "Pein would call it 'world peace'."

"I don't understand."

"What? You don't understand what world peace is?"

Sakura had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. First he called her smart, now he was practically accusing her of being stupid. "Of course I do. But I was under the impression that such a thing was impossible." she said as she rushed him again.

"Now that we have all the tailed beasts, it just became possible. We're going to use their chakra to develop jutsu that are so devastating, they could wipe out an entire country with a single use. After a few preliminary Akatsuki supported skirmishes, war will break out. The opposing sides will be looking for an advantage. We'll hand the jutsu over to the highest buyer and watch the fun begin. After they make the mistake of using them a time or two, the rest of the world will cease fighting out of fear."

Sakura oomphed as Madara's foot connected with her thigh, pushing her back. Righting herself quickly, she charged him, and another flurry of punching began. "How is that going to work? Not all of the countries in the world are going to just do as you say. Some of their governments are quite stubborn."

"They won't have a choice. Fear is a powerful motivator. Once the people see annihilation in their future, they will demand peace, or rise up against their leaders until someone who does listen is in charge." he said, his voice rougher now with the exertion.

Sakura fell silent. Sensing an advantage, Madara pressed her, forcing her to defend herself as he worked on getting her feet out from under her. They were both breathing heavily now, and Sakura had to wipe a stray droplet of sweat from her eyes several times. She felt her gut wrench as she thought back on what she had just been told. They were going to make jutsu large enough to decimate a whole country? Large enough to scare the leaders of the surviving nations into submitting? The scene of devastation rose in her mind, as clear as if it had already happened. Barren craters littered with bodies. Shinobi who had been caught in the blast while they struggled to defend their homes and families. Their faces twisted in horror and pain.

Their faces. They looked familiar. The forehead protectors bore the symbol of the leaf. And everyone she knew was there. Ino, Choji, Hinata, Shizune, Kakashi...everyone. At the center of the mess, she caught a glimpse of long blonde hair, surrounding a mass that was once flesh and blood. Tsunade. Horror filled her. This could not happen. She could not let this happen. No matter what she swore to Pein, she had to stop Madara from completing this plan. Their reasoning may be different, but Jashin was right. He had to die. And if Pein insisted on carrying on as well, she would stop him too. But first, she had to save Naruto.

She was snapped back to reality by a foot to her stomach, sending her flying backwards into the wall. She hit hard before falling into a heap on the hardwood floor. The cold seeping into her legs cleared her head, and she staggered to her feet just as Madara approached her. Staring into the single hole in his mask, she spoke. "But what about the shinobi, Madara-sama? They'll be the ones to die from the jutsu. And those that are left will have no way to care for their families. Without the income the villages provide, they'll starve. A whole way of life will be gone."

Madara just shrugged. "It's not my choice who fights and who doesn't. And when the world is finally at peace, they will no longer need the shinobi. They might as well go out the way they were taught instead of lost and neglected, don't you think?"

Sakura stared at him. "That will make us obsolete too, won't it? What will the Akatsuki do then?"

He just shrugged again. "After we get what we want, what you do is your own business. You could even go back to Konoha if you want. If there is anything left, you could become the village doctor. And if you're good enough, they might even put your name next to their fallen hero, Naruto."

Sakura frowned at the sudden mocking tone in his voice. He was baiting her. Trying to upset her to see if she would attack him. She had to admit, his taunting had the intended effect. Her adrenaline soared as the words hit home. The bastard. She wanted nothing more than to walk over there and punch him through the building. But she had to bide her time. She wasn't ready yet. If she turned on him now and lost, he wouldn't let her anywhere near Naruto. No, she had to do it when she was sure she could save him.

Reining in her emotions, she brushed past Madara, aiming a cool glance at him when they were shoulder to shoulder. "I told you already, Konoha would never have me back. And Hidan would hate it there. This is the only life I have now."

She made it to the doorway only to find that the jutsu sealing it off was still in place. Looking back over her shoulder at Madara, she raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to let me out?"

"One last thing before you go. We're all going to the sealing chamber together tomorrow. Holding the teleportation jutsu will use up more chakra than I'm willing to allow. I want nothing hindering our progress. Everyone will meet at the outdoor training ground at sunrise. Don't be late." he warned.

As soon as she acknowledged him with a nod, the jutsu dispelled, and she walked out into the hallway. She had to suppress the shudder that tried to run down her spine at the sudden malicious tone in his voice. She had no doubt that when she did fight him for real, it would be a difficult victory. While they were sparring, even though he was talking to her, his attacks never wavered. They were measured and precise, and she had a feeling that he intentionally saved that last kick for when she was distracted. A display of his abilities to keep her away from any thoughts of challenging him. Like a wolf posturing before a rival.

Needing a shower now, Sakura headed for her room. Demon was waiting for her by the door, twitching his tail and glaring at the wood like his attitude alone would grant him entry. Pushing it open, Sakura waited for the kitten to enter before stepping inside and closing the door behind her. Hidan was already there, sitting cross-legged in the floor, pendant in hand, eyes closed. Even as she smiled at the angelic expression on his face, she was puzzled as to why he was in the floor. He almost always prayed on the bed. Then she noticed the red ceremonial dagger sitting on the floor beside him. He must be preparing for one of his bloodletting rituals. He had told her about them, but since they were only regularly done at the temple, she had never actually seen him do it. Trying not to disturb him, she started tiptoeing to the bathroom.

Hidan didn't need to open his eyes to know exactly where Sakura was in the room. Even if he hadn't heard the door, he still would have known. Ever since the hachibi extraction, their bond had grown stronger. She hadn't even noticed, with all her worry over Naruto, but for him it had been practically inescapable. Everything she did, everything she felt, was like a ghost at the back of his mind. It wasn't like telepathy where he knew what she was thinking. It was more along the lines of instinct. He knew when she became wary of Madara, when they had started sparring, and when she felt afraid minutes before she walked in the door.

It was also why he had been intentionally provoking her in the evenings. She needed the relief of a good fight. If not, she would let the stress build up until she exploded. And with her physical strength, she would take out the building and half the village. Not that he gave a shit about collateral damage, but until it was time to complete Jashin's task, he had to keep her on a steady keel. After that, he would gladly stand by while his little powerhouse took her frustration out on whoever the hell she wanted to. Besides that, he enjoyed every minute of their interactions together. She was a beautiful goddess of fury, and when she turned those flashing emerald eyes on him, gleaming with retribution, it left him wanting her in a way that bordered on insanity.

But this evening he had a different plan. He would show her how to tap into the strength granted to her by Jashin. Yes, she had her immortality, but she had yet to take advantage of her spiritual stamina as well. She was still thinking like a mortal. Like the weight of time was still pressing down on her, waiting to squash her at any given instant. If his plan worked, he would free her from that. He had already finished his prayer to Jashin when he felt her start to move past him. Opening his eyes, he called to her.

"Sakura, come here."

Turning her head, she looked at him. "I'm sorry I disturbed you, Hidan. I was just going to take a shower."

Lifting a hand, he held it out to her. "You don't fucking stink, come here."

Curious as to what he wanted, Sakura walked over to him and put her hand in his. Dropping to her knees, she knelt in front of him. "What is it?"

"Pray with me."

"To Jashin?"

"Yes."

Truthfully, the thought of it terrified her. It would mean that she was admitting she was weak, that she couldn't do it on her own and needed help. But no matter how much she resisted, she had already admitted that she was bound to the dark god until she saw this through. Maybe if she gave in, just a little, he would make things easier. Even if this whole thing was a result of him screwing with her in the first place. But even though she had been connected to Hidan for all of his rituals, she had never actively participated in one. She wasn't sure she was ready for such a big step. She was still struggling with indecision when Hidan grabbed her other hand.

"Sakura, do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Turn around and sit down."

Nodding, Sakura scooted until she had her back to him, crossing her legs in front of her to mimic his position. Hidan slid closer to her, until his shin was resting against her lower back and she could feel his body head radiating towards her. Wrapping his arms around her, he joined his hands in front of her in a seal. He mumbled something and a glowing red line appeared in the floor in front of her. Glancing down, she realized that the line was actually a circle. Following it with her eyes, she watched as Jashin's symbol appeared beneath them, with the two of them sitting exactly in the center. The symbol solidified and Hidan dropped his hands. A warmth swirling in her stomach heralded the activation of their bond and her mind instantly went calm. She felt Hidan's hands ghost up her sweat-slick arms and down her back in a relaxing caress.

"Good, now close your eyes. Don't think about anything but your breathing."

Sakura did as he asked, settling into the swirling black and red behind her eyelids. Taking a deep breath, she let it out, and took another. Behind her, Hidan was doing the same, and she could only feel warmth and peace coming from him. Then his arms were around her again, and he untangled his legs, drawing her back to lean against his chest. Resting her head against his heart, she concentrated on the rise and fall of his chest behind her. Slowly, her muscles relaxed, and she felt like she could fall asleep. That was when she felt his arm move, and she instinctively knew he was picking up the dagger. Her brain tried to surface back to reality when he spoke again.

"Just keep breathing."

Settling back down, she waited for the sting she knew was coming. What surprised her was when he lifted up her arm with his free hand and brought the dagger up to rest against her wrist. "Now," he said, "repeat after me. Jashin, Lord of Slaughter..."

"Jashin, Lord of Slaughter..." the tip of the dagger dug into her vein as she felt her skin give way. Warm liquid streaked down her arm as he deepened the slice, dragging the blade in a vertical line nearly to her elbow.

"Strengthen us, your servants, as we strengthen you with our offering of blood..."

Sakura repeated the line as Hidan lowered her arm and picked up the other one, repeating the cut on the other side. By this time, the first wound was bleeding profusely, and she had to force herself to stay still and leave it alone. Her heart was beating faster and she had to work on keeping her breaths deep and even as he continued. The pain was distracting as well, and for some reason, he wasn't doing anything to change the burning sensation that was crawling up to her shoulders.

"Lift us up, beyond the pain to find solace in your presence..."

She struggled to follow after him, the discomfort she was feeling driving her to awareness. She nearly opened her eyes when she felt him cut a matching slice in his own arm, the bond between them doubling the pain for her. A hiss escaped her, but Hidan seemed to not notice and switched hands, blood running down onto the handle of the dagger.

"May we continue in your work until you deem our souls worthy to stand at your side in the next life."

The pain was starting to lessen, or it was further away, as her head became light from blood loss. The last line of the prayer came out more slurred than clear, and as her self preservation kicked in, she struggled against him, trying to sit up, to fight the pain consuming her. She felt his hands, slick with his own blood, grab hers, twining their fingers as he wrapped their arms around her torso, holding her in place. His voice came from above her, soft, even as his words demanded her compliance.

"Come on, Sakura. I'm not going to do it for you anymore. Sink into the feeling of pain. Don't fight it. Embrace it and let it surround you, and it will stop hurting you. You will defeat it, and it will never hurt again. All you have to do is let go."

His words reached her through the haze that was spreading in her head, and she tried. She tried for him, and when she thought she would drown in the feeling, it changed. Her nerve endings ceased to spark, shooting pain signals to her brain, and began to sizzle and smolder instead. It flamed into a fire, and she was consumed by it. The woozy feeling intensified, and the blackness surrounding her deepened. In the dark, she could still hear Hidan as he encouraged her. His voice sounded lust filled as his lips brushed over her ear.

"That's it, baby. You've got it. Now, reach out to Jashin. He's there, in the dark. Reach out and let him in, he will give you his strength. Nothing will stand in your way when he is with you."

Sakura felt her brow furrow. He was there? She tried, but it was hard. All she could see was the darkness, all she could feel was the heat of her own body as it raged at her. She was just about to give up when she felt it. A cold spot in the middle of the fire. She still couldn't see anything, but she could feel it now. A presence, still and solid, in the distance. Willing herself to move towards it, she reached out, needing the cold to quench the fire before she died of it. At last she was able to touch it, and all at once she could feel it surround her. It was like water, but without real substance. Her body cooled, her muscles flowing with the phantom liquid, making her feel whole and strong. And the voice she hadn't heard for months, laced with natural malice, but no longer threatening to her, whispered across her brain.

"It's about time, stubborn child. Now you are ready."

Then she saw him, for just an instant. He was standing under the cherry tree in his garden, in his robe of crimson with his long black hair, absently twirling a blossom between his fingers. Makoto was lying at his feet beside a white wolf with ice blue eyes. As soon as she identified the she-wolf as Yume, the scene was gone, the blackness surrounding her once again. The fire had died down to a slow burn and she floated in the feeling.

Awareness of the room came back slowly, the first thing being that of Hidan's hands roaming over her skin. A murmur of contentment escaped her lips as he stroked her arms, rebuilding the fire that she had started. Her fingers contracted as he hit a sensitive spot and that was when she noticed that she had something in her hand. Opening her eyes fully, she looked down to find that although the symbol was still there, her wounds were completely gone, and the scroll Jashin had given her was in her hand. She lifted it up and studied it, noticing for the first time the circumscribed triangle that served as the seal keeping it closed.

"Makoto's scroll." she said in disbelief.

Hidan lifted his head from where he had it buried in her hair and looked at it. "So, you know when it will happen now?"

"Tomorrow. As soon as Naruto is free of the Kyuubi, we will do it."

"Hm." he replied noncommittally before returning his attention to her neck, letting his lips run over her pulse.

Her body still thrumming from the ritual, Sakura groaned. His touch was torturous to her sensitized nerves. Unable to keep still, she turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him fiercely. Their bond was still there, thanks to the circle, and Hidan growled in her mouth as a mutual wave of desire swept over them. Knowing she needed no encouragement, he picked the dagger up from where he had dropped it earlier and cut her clothes from her body, throwing them across the room. Her seeking fingers roamed over his arms as he worked, and when he accidentally nicked her skin, her nails dug into his flesh.

Finally rid of her offending garments, he lay her back onto the floor, her pale pink hair fanned out just outside the circle. Her eyes never left his as he slid his pants off, the violet flecks within the green irises more pronounced than ever. They darkened in anticipation as he hovered over her, in a kneeling position between her knees. Without preamble, he grabbed her hips and thrust into her, burying himself up to the hilt.

A scream was torn from Sakura's throat as blinding ecstasy tore through them. They didn't even get to move before the orgasm hit them. It was all Hidan could do to ride out the waves without collapsing on top of her. Sweat broke out on his body as he was sent flying high. Thankfully, it was short lived, and he soon regained his senses. He hadn't even realized that he had closed his eyes until he felt Sakura's cool hand on his cheek. Looking down at her, he took in her satisfied appearance, her pale skin gleaming with sweat and a new glow he hadn't seen before. She was giving him a heated look, and he could feel her desire begin to build again as he slowly moved within her.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper, and he smirked at her. "Tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we have plenty to celebrate." he said as he leaned down to taste her irresistible lips and thrust into her again.

Sakura's eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. "Hidan?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sure your ribs are burning by now."

"...oh shit!"


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Non-canon twist on the Ten-tails, be warned, lol.

Chapter 22

The low rumble of thunder heralded the dawn as rain pounded the earth relentlessly. From under the relative shelter of a tree, Sakura pulled her hat up, watching as the others shifted around her, as restless as the sky overhead. It was muggy in addition to being wet, and she was sure the others were feeling just as suffocated as she was. Well, everyone except Kisame. The shark ninja was the only one standing in the open, hat off, face upturned toward the moisture falling from above.

The conversation had been sparse at best, but it had dwindled down to nothing quickly. Aside from the occasional complaint from Hidan, the group waited for Madara in silence. A wave of irritation swept over her and she stuffed her hands in the sleeves of her cloak to trace Jashin's symbol on the inside of her arm. They had carved it there this morning, along with the matching one on Hidan's chest, and she had set a chakra barrier around them to keep them from healing. That way they could stay connected, no matter what happened. Plus, if Madara tried to use a genjutsu on one of them, they had a better chance of resisting it.

She felt Hidan's irritation rise despite her soothing touch, and he shifted beside her. He glared at Pein and was about to complain again when four chakra signatures caught everyone's attention. Sakura immediately recognized Sasuke's, along with the rest of Team Hawk, as they swiftly made their way along the road, heading away from the village. "Where are they going?" she wondered aloud.

"It seems that the five Kages have planned to hold a summit. It probably has something to do with the loss of the last biju. I sent Sasuke to... represent our interests at the meeting." Madara explained as he approached the group from the tree line.

"Oh." she replied, even as she forced her face to keep an unassuming look. There was something in the way he spoke that told her he was lying. He was being too casual, too free with his information. Madara had lived a long time as a powerful shinobi, and she was sure he didn't get that way by running around telling everyone what he was doing. Had he ordered Sasuke to attack the Kages? Such a mission would be guaranteed suicide. And from the sudden twist of Pein's head as his attention was drawn to Madara, he had no idea that Sasuke was leaving either. The conversation she had overheard them having rose in her mind. The pierced ninja had been right. He was definitely up to something.

Not that it really mattered. As soon as Naruto was safe, she was going to toss a really big wrench into his plans. There was nothing like a slight case of death to make things go awry. She let her eyes follow him passively as he stepped into the middle of the clearing and began forming hand seals. A wave of disdain passed through her and she instantly knew that Hidan was watching him too.

As soon as Madara finished the last sign, the earth shifted, sinking until it formed a crude staircase that led straight down into the darkness. Sakura's eyebrow raised in surprise. They had a sealing chamber here? If that was the case, why didn't they seal the hachibi like this instead of projecting to a different location? But then again, with the danger of pursuit, it did make sense to get him out of the way as soon as possible. If the other cave was closer, it was the best choice instead. And as Madara himself said, it would take every spare drop of chakra to remove the kyuubi.

She didn't have time to think about it further, because they had started filing down the stairs. Moving to follow Kisho and Kisame, Sakura started down the steps when she suddenly paused. Apprehension washed over her. For some reason she couldn't name, she didn't want to go down those steps. It was too dark, too close. What was wrong with her? She had never had a problem like this before. Pushing her unreasonable fears aside, she took a deep breath and continued on before anyone had noticed that she was stalling.

Pein and Konan descended behind her and Hidan, with Madara bringing up the rear. As soon as everyone was below the surface, he closed up the entrance behind them. As the light waned, Kisame's chakra flared ahead of them. A small flame was soon hovering above his hand, lighting the path before them. No doubt it was a jutsu that Itachi had taught him, considering the fact that she had never seen him use anything other than water.

The way back out was completely closed off now, and Sakura had taken only a few steps when panic hit her like a ton of bricks. Her chest constricted painfully as her heart tried its best to beat its way through her ribs. She couldn't seem to breathe properly, no matter how much air she gulped in. Her head grew light and she had to stop on the next step to keep from stumbling forward into Kisho. A cold sweat broke out on her body and Hidan began muttering curses behind her.

His hands landed on her shoulders and he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Don't fucking stop, please."

It was the desperate note in his voice that snapped her out of her dread and allowed her to focus. So, he was the source of it. Forcing herself forward, one step at a time, she continued. As she went, she concentrated on slowing her breathing and heart rate. It was difficult; Hidan's emotions kept forcing adrenaline into her system, but at last she managed it. His hands never left her shoulders, and as soon as she calmed, she felt him relax behind her.

They traveled for several yards, and at last, Sakura could see the dim glow emanating from the sealing chamber. The pace quickened then, and soon she found herself standing bathed in refreshing light. The statue was already there; more impressive now that she was actually in the same room with it. Eight unseeing eyes stared down at her, the ninth one in the middle still tightly closed. Hidan released her then, and she went to stand by Kisho, who was studying the statue as well.

"It's not an earth jutsu. Interesting..." he muttered, more to himself than her.

"What is?" she asked. If he had anything she could use against Madara, it would help tremendously.

He turned and looked at her then, his dark red hair falling into his eyes. "This statue isn't a statue at all. It's more like a body that has been petrified. You can tell by the slight variations in the surface. Not like a rock at all."

Sakura looked back up at the statue. She couldn't imagine a creature this massive walking around under the open sky. It had probably terrified anything it came across. Or maybe it had been some kind of ancient demon, inhabiting the caves of the deep earth, filled with hot lava and sulfur. Her eyes landed on the chains around its wrists. Someone had managed to contain it, and probably killed it. But who had that kind of power?

"That is interesting." she replied.

"Alright, let's get this done." Madara said, looking at them as he walked to stand between the stone hands.

Sakura and Kisho glanced at each other before moving to jump on their respective fingers. She could feel Hidan's contempt at being ordered around as he joined her on the right. In contrast, Kisame was nearly chuckling as he landed to her left. Konan appeared across from her; the blue-haired kunoichi's face a mask of contemplation. Pein stood on the thumb beside her, his expression mirroring his partner's.

As soon as everyone was in place, Zetsu appeared, seeming to materialize from one of the darkened corners of the cavern. In his arms hung the unconscious body of Naruto. The plant ninja walked between the chained hands and unceremoniously dumped him on the floor. Then he turned and merged with the wrist on his left, appearing at the top of the pinky finger moments later. Anger tore through Sakura and she glared at Zetsu. Did he have to be so damned callous? Mismatched gold eyes returned her stare with a mixture of ambivalence and confusion.

Sakura's emotion was given a voice when Hidan crossed his arms over his chest and spoke up. "Why don't you just beat the poor fucker with a stick and roll him down some stairs while you're at it?"

Zetsu's eyes moved to meet Hidan's "_It is none of my concern what happens to the jinchuriki_."

"**As long as he remains alive**."

"Aww, Hidan-san. I never knew you were so compassionate. Perhaps the Zombie Chick is turning you into a human after all." Kisame broke in.

"Jealous, Shark-face?" Hidan retorted.

Kisame's eyes narrowed and he fell silent. Reading his partner's sudden change in mood, Kisho spoke up. "That was below the belt, Hidan-san."

Hidan snorted. "Get off my case, you pansy ass cat-bitch."

"That's enough, all of you." Pein commanded. "The personal issues can be sorted out later. Our goal is nearly complete and you need to concentrate."

Sakura said nothing during this exchange. She was busy trying to keep her focus off of Naruto's body and on her plan. As soon as her chakra reached Naruto, she would divide it like last time. She would then go straight for the Kyuubi's chakra, and if her guess was right, she would be pulled into the place that housed the nine-tails' consciousness. There, she would attempt to get him separated from Naruto.

If he refused, or if it looked like the jutsu would complete before she finished, she would use her connection to Hidan to signal him. Then he would physically break her out of the jutsu and they would attack Madara, interrupting the sealing and completing her task for Jashin. It wasn't a great plan, there was plenty of room for things to go wrong, but it was the best she could come up with.

Hidan had disagreed with her at first, saying it would just be simpler to attack when the jutsu started and they were off guard. But if the kyuubi were removed, Sakura wouldn't have to worry about anyone else coming after Naruto for his demon. And the chakra drain would weaken Madara considerably, effectively killing two birds with one stone. The only downside was that they would be weakened as well, Sakura more so because she would have expended more energy than the others. After much debate, he finally relented, saying he didn't care how it was done, so long as the prick was dead when it was over.

At last Madara settled into place and began the hand seals for the jutsu. Sakura formed a seal to steady her chakra as she began feeling the gentle tug at the soles of her feet. Forcing herself to relax, she allowed her chakra to flow downward, trickling out of her body in a steady stream. Time began to blur like before, and she focused her attention on the eerie blue cloud of chakra to keep her mind from wandering. It was hard not thinking about what Naruto was about to go through, or what would happen afterward. Not only did his life rest with her success, but the fates of the countless shinobi who would die if she failed and Madara started his war.

And Hidan wasn't helping any. The more time passed, the more restless he became. So much so that she was beginning to wonder if they should have waited to do their connection ritual. There was no ignoring it, so she did the best she could to deal with the urges to fidget. When she was ready to throw all her shuriken, kunai and anything else not nailed down at him, he stopped. His attention had been drawn by the sudden decrease in the pull on their chakra. It was time to put their plan into motion.

"Remember to keep your chakra steady." Madara reminded them needlessly.

Sakura felt her way along her chakra as Madara guided the mingled energy toward Naruto. She forced herself not to wince as a strangled cry emerged from her friend and he was lifted into the air, head thrown back, body rigid. Concentrating harder, she forced part of her chakra away from the main mass, seeking the seal containing the nine-tails. It was further down than the hachibi's, located in his stomach. The net around the kyuubi was thicker as well, but Sakura could detect several areas that were weak or on the verge of tearing.

Not wasting any more time, she held her breath and sent her chakra into the largest hole. As soon as she touched the nine-tails' essence, a chill went down her spine. It was much stronger than the eight-tails, and so malevolent it was all she could do to not resist as it latched onto her and sucked her into the darkness. It swallowed her up, suffocating her like the cave's tunnel never could, and just before she lost awareness, a hopelessness sharper than a blade cut through her soul.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura didn't awaken slowly, instead she was jerked into consciousness by a splash of nearly hot water hitting her face. The ground was shaking, and a high pitched scream echoed off of unseen walls. It sounded almost like a woman was being torn into pieces by a wild animal. Or a fox in pain. Snapping her eyes open, Sakura sat up just in time to see a torch fall from a stone column to fizzle in the water covering the floor. It was soaking into her clothes, so she climbed to her feet and tried to make out her surroundings.

A sputtering cough from behind made Sakura spin around. Her eyes widened at the sight of Hidan, on his hands and knees, coughing hard as water dripped down his face. The entire front of his cloak was wet as well. He had evidently landed face down when he had been pulled here. Sakura frowned. This was bad. She hadn't counted on their active bond having this effect. Now there was no one that could pull them out if things went wrong. If she failed now, she was stuck until Naruto's death expelled her back to reality.

When his spasms slowed, Hidan climbed to his feet. Noticing her presence at last, he ran a hand through his damp silver hair and glared. "Do you know how much it fucking sucks to drown and not die?"

"No." she answered seriously. "What do we do now, Hidan?"

He shrugged. "Find the nine-tails?"

"But what if we can't do this?"

"We will." He replied firmly, squashing her sudden doubt.

Another agonized scream in the darkness pointed them in the right direction. Taking off at a dead run, they followed the sparsely lit path, slowing only when a tremor threw them off balance. They had only ran a few minutes when the columns widened and spread out, revealing a cage at the other end. The door was still closed, but many of the bars were bent and cracked from the upheaval. An eerie red glow drew their attention to the base of the door where Naruto's body lay in the grasp of a massive red chakra paw. He was unconscious, and it looked like the fox demon was trying to pull him into the cage.

Another furious howl emerged from the other side of the door. Sakura rushed forward, trying to reach Naruto, only to be pushed back by the force of the chakra and another violent tremor that knocked a second torch down and made several cracks appear in the columns. Hidan caught her as she started to fall backwards, grabbing her by the arms until she regained her balance. An angry pair of red eyes appeared on the other side of the doors. Staring down at them, the utter hatred in the kyuubi's gaze made Sakura's heart pound. Steeling herself, she stepped forward and spoke to it.

"Kyuubi. Please let Naruto go." she demanded, sounding much calmer than she felt.

A glare was her answer and his paw closed around Naruto's body tighter. Then he started to tremble, and he howled again before he finally spoke. His tone was dark and obviously distrusting. "Why would I even consider it? You are brave coming here, human. Although, I'm not sure how you accomplished it. Only the strongest of the Uchiha Clan have managed to reach this place before."

"An Uchiha has been here before?" Sakura asked, her thoughts immediately turning to Sasuke.

"Several. Only the Sharingan is powerful enough to find this place. In order to get here, you must have had one's help."

"Uchiha Madara is close by." she replied, considering the implications of his words. How much did the fox demon know? Could he prove useful against Madara as well as saving Naruto? "Do you know what is happening here?" she asked him.

"Foolish humans, meddling with things they cannot control." he spat in disdain.

"It's worse than that. Madara is using a jutsu right now to break your seal and pull you into some sort of statue. You have to let go of Naruto or the jutsu will kill him."

"If I let go of him, I won't be able to fight back. As much as I dislike it, the kit is the only one who can keep me from them."

"He'll die!"

"Did you think I would care? For the past twenty one years I have been locked away here, doing nothing except for protecting this boy when he was too weak to care for himself. And whenever I do, he spurns me. You'll have to find a better reason than that."

"How about, if you don't, we'll fucking kill you?" Hidan broke in.

The kyuubi gave a pained laugh. "I like your attitude, human, but your words do not threaten me. I cannot be killed."

"If you have to be contained, does it matter which cage it is? If you don't care about Naruto, why not let Madara have you instead? Let Naruto go and the jutsu will complete faster and your pain will end." Sakura said, trying to keep the desperate tone from her voice.

"Fine words from Madara's puppet. Do you know what that statue actually is?"

"Do you?" Sakura countered. She was trying to keep her temper in check, but the demon's continued insults was making it difficult. If there wasn't so much riding on this, she was sure she would be swearing him blue by now.

"It is the body of the Ten-tails. Madara hopes to gain ultimate power by combining the biju in the original body and reviving it. I don't know what he plans to do with it, but he could destroy the world with a thought." Kyuubi answered her.

"He's full of shit. Everyone knows the body of the Ten-tails was sealed on the fucking moon by the Sage of the Six Paths." Hidan countered.

The fox demon gave a hollow laugh. "Such fools. You have no idea how much power the Elder Uchiha has, do you? It would be nothing for him to retrieve it. My old master has evidently hidden his talents well."

"So why won't you help us? Wouldn't it be to your advantage to be more powerful and take revenge on us humans?"

"Because, to become the Ten-tails with the other biju means that we will die."

"But you just said-"

"I said I could not be killed. What I mean by dying is that our consciousnesses will be destroyed. We will cease to exist as separate beings. Surely you can understand why I won't help you now."

The image of the eight-tails rose to the front of Sakura's mind. He had been so desperate to survive, and how could she blame him? Her hope to save Naruto began dropping by the second. The kyuubi was a monster, a chakra demon, and he was holding a grudge against the humans that had imprisoned him. The chanced of him willingly risking his life now were slim to none. But she had to try. Naruto would not give up on her, and she could do no less for him.

"Kyuubi, I know that you have no reason to trust me. But I think I can help you. The jutsu cannot be stopped. One way or the other, Madara will have you. If you will let Naruto live and allow yourself to be removed from his body, I will kill Madara before he can merge the tailed beasts and free you."

The fox was not convinced. "How do you hope to accomplish that? I will be under his control once again, and if he decides to unleash me at full power, you will not survive. Not that you could in a match against Madara anyway."

Hidan gave the nine tails a smug look. "Not even you can defy the will of Jashin-sama. We are immortal and cannot be killed either, retard."

Sakura gave Hidan a glare for his insult. Aggravating an already wounded animal wouldn't do a bit of good. She looked back towards the fox only to find that his face had disappeared into the darkness. She was just about to sigh in defeat when his disembodied voice reached her ears. "You two must be the biggest fools I've ever met. But I would be the bigger fool if you are somehow right. I will release my kit. But let me warn you now. If you fail and the Ten-tails is reborn, nothing will survive. And my hatred of you will live on, even when my mind is gone. Immortal or not, I will hunt you to the end of existance."

The biggest tremor yet shook the walls, making the water on the floor rise up in great waves. Large sections of debris bounced around and the bars before them groaned with the effort to stay sound. Hidan and Sakura were knocked down, and Kyuubi screamed in agony. But true to his word, his massive paw opened, and Naruto's body rolled forward into the water. A sucking sound filled the air and seconds later everything went black.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"What the hell?" Kisame's voice forced it's way into Sakura's awakening consciousness.

"_Are we finished already_?"

"**The chakra connection has been broken**." Zetsu said.

"Something has happened." Pein stated matter of factly.

Sakura opened her eyes to find varying looks of confusion on the Akatsuki's faces. She glanced over at Hidan to find him wiping one hand down his face as if he just woke up with a hangover. Then at the cloud of red and blue chakra that was slowly receding into the statue. The eye in the middle was opened fully, an unearthy intelligence shining from within. The jutsu had completed. Without waiting for everyone to recover, she jumped down to Naruto's body. He was still unconscious, but alive. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, she gave a silent prayer of thanks. Her relief was cut short, however, by a bone-chilling laugh coming from Madara. Looking up, she found him staring down at her, hands on his hips.

"I'm glad you got what you wanted, Sakura-chan. But now I have an announcement to make. The Akatsuki have just completed my goal, which means that you all are no longer useful. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to let you go." he said with another laugh as seven pairs of eyes were turned on one bright orange mask.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

_"__I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to let you go."_

As Madara spoke, he lifted his hands, removing the swirling orange maskand throwing it carelessly away. It hit the wall and shattered, the pieces dropping in a haphazard pattern on the floor. From her position on the floor, Sakura had a good view of his face as he glanced down at her. He had the classic Uchiha features, dark hair, fine facial structure, and pale skin. Except for a few deeper wrinkles around his eyes, he looked to be no older than thirty. He must have developed a jutsu to rejuvenate his body, as well as prolong his life. She wondered if it was similar to Tsunade's jutsu, or something entirely different. Sakura was brought back to attention by the sudden lightening of his eyes as he activated his Sharingan.

"Reverse Reality."

Tendrils of chakra burst forth, surrounding everyone in the room. Konan, Kisho and Kisame immediately froze, their eyes going blank as Madara's jutsu began to affect them. Sakura felt light headed, like she was going to pass out. It cleared as Jashin's symbol on her arm began to burn. Hidan glanced over at her, a smug look on his face. She had been right. The jutsu must have been similar enough to a genjutsu that their bond with each other kept Madara from affecting them. But what about Pein? He seemed fine as well, jumping over to his partner to help her.

Just as he reached her, a barrier rose up, enclosing Konan in a large box of glass. She seemed to be aware again, and she dropped to her knees and started gasping for air. One by one, slips of paper began sliding off her body, collecting into a mass on the other side of the box. Similar barriers surrounded the other two. Kisame's began filling with water, and Kisho was barely visible as his box was filled with a thick cloud of dust. The three shinobi began thrashing around wildly, as if they were fighting some unseen enemy. Sakura looked up at Madara.

"What are you doing to them?" she asked in a hard voice.

Madara eyed her with disdain. "I see you found a way around my Sharingan. But it hardly matters. I have the tailed beasts, and the three of you cannot defeat them. Since you are going to die anyway, I will explain my jutsu. They think they are fighting against me alone in a genjutsu. Each time they perform a jutsu, their box fills with their used chakra. The more they fight, the greater the chakra inside. Eventually the pressure will crush them. They are going to die, by their own will to survive. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Let them go." Pein commanded. "This wasn't part of the plan."

"It was part of _my_ plan. Your meager attempt at peace was doomed from the beginning. People can't be 'taught' to stop fighting. It's as ingrained as walking. But once the ten-tails is revived and Konoha falls as it was meant to, they will come as close to a peaceful existence as possible. The world will be united under my control, and all reasons to fight will become obsolete. I'd like to tell you the rest, but I have more important things to do than stand around talking. The world's rebirth awaits."

"Wait." Sakura commanded, freezing him in place. This was taking too long, the others were running out of time, but she had to know more, especially if he had plans to attack her village. "Where did you really send Sasuke?"

"Getting sentimental now, kunoichi? How pathetic. I really sent him to the Kage Summit. Call it my back-up plan. If my jutsu should fail, he will kill the five shadows."

Sakura gasped. Had Sasuke lost his mind? "That's suicide!"

Madara nodded. "Yes, most likely. But even if he should be killed in the attack, by the time he falls, he will have cut a swath through history. There will no longer be any doubt about the Uchiha clan and it's power. And when your precious Konoha falls and I reveal myself again, the entire world will be begging for an alliance with me. Now, I suggest you stop trying to stall me. It would be a real shame if you died knowing you didn't even lift a finger to help your friends."

With that, Madara jumped to stand on the head of the statue. After forming a long set of hand seals, he crouched down and lay both palms on the stone beneath him. A chakra barrier rose up, expanding outward until it encompassed the statue and the bound hands in front. Pein, Hidan, and Sakura, with Naruto's body in tow, were forced to retreat. Konan, Kisame and Kisho went crashing to the floor of the cave, still in their boxes. Unfortunately, none of them broke. They were pushed across the floor by the barrier, until it halted just outside the stone hands. Zetsu had somehow managed to disappear in the middle of the confusion.

Turning to look over his shoulder, Hidan scowled at the wall directly behind him. "There's not enough fucking room in here to fight!" he complained.

His words fell on deaf ears. Sakura was on her knees, studying Kisho's box, trying to figure out a way to break through without killing him in the process with broken glass. Pein was standing still with his eyes closed, hands together in concentration. Turning his attention to Madara, Hidan drew his scythe. That prick might have been able to distract Sakura and Pein from what he was doing, but not him. It wasn't his damn business whether the others lived or not. Jashin made sure Sakura would survive, and she had saved Naruto like she wanted to, so his only goal now was to help carry out Jashin's will. It was time for Madara to die.

Rushing the barrier, he swung his scythe, only to lose his footing and fall back when the ground beneath him started shaking. Beyond the dull blue glow in front of him, he could see the statue rising from the earth. Madara had moved to stand on one now-visible shoulder as the head reached the ceiling. A loud crash sounded as it broke through, the displaced earth falling towards them. Sakura glanced up and stood, gathering chakra in her fist before smashing the largest chunk of rock into hundreds of harmless shards. By the time the dust in the air cleared, they could only see the feet of the statue, Madara far above them. Sakura looked over at him and Hidan caught her gaze.

"Let's go, Sakura."

"I can't just leave them to die." she replied.

"Jashin-sama gave us a job to do." he reminded her.

"Ten minutes and I'll be there. If I can't get them out, they won't last beyond that anyway."

"Fine." Then he was gone, jumping up through the hole created in the ceiling by the statue.

Sakura glanced over at Pein. He was still standing there with his eyes closed. Inside her glass prison, Konan had stopped moving, and the slips of paper had settled to the bottom in a pile. On the other side of her, Kisame had stilled as well, his body floating in the water surrounding him. Only Kisho kept moving, and through the swirling dust she could tell that he didn't have much time left. His unseeing eyes were nearly bulging, and his movements were becoming increasingly jerky and slow.

Deciding to take the risk of having to heal a massive amount of cuts, Sakura stood and let chakra gather in her fist again. She had just pulled back to punch the corner of the enclosure when they shattered on their own. Glass, dust, water and paper flew everywhere as the suddenly released chakra dispersed into the air. Kisame and Kisho fell to the ground with a muted thud and Pein caught Konan just as she was about to collapse.

Madara must have needed more chakra for releasing the tailed beast, and that's why they were released. Grateful for it at any rate, Sakura dropped to her knees at Kisho's side. Sweeping his crimson hair away from his neck, she checked his pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Then she checked the damage to his body. Glass was sticking out of his stomach in several places, and one small sliver was lodged deeply into his cheek. Before she removed any of it and risked blood loss, she sent a chakra probe into his body to check for internal injuries. Four large ribs were broken, and nearly all of his internal organs were damaged from the pressure of his chakra. His chakra itself was nearly gone, with just enough to sustain his life.

Pulling back out, Sakura prepared to remove the glass and close the wounds when he opened his eyes and looked at her. "Sakura-san?"

She forced a small smile as she met his golden gaze. "Don't move, Kisho-san. I'll have you back on your feet in no time."

He tried to lift his hand, and grimaced with the effort. Dropping it back into the glass-strewn mud, he gave his head a small shake. "Don't."

"What?"

"I'm too far gone and you need to conserve your chakra. If you heal me, you won't have enough to fight Madara."

"Kisho, if I don't treat you, you'll die. Your organs are damaged, and if one of your broken ribs punctures your lungs, they'll collapse." she tried to persuade him.

"It's alright. I'm not afraid to die. But before I...I have something that will help you. When this is over, keep it... to remember me by." he said with a weak smile, his voice growing fainter as his chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

Moving his hand slowly to a clear spot on the floor, Kisho closed his eyes and concentrated. What little chakra he had left traveled to his hand. Sakura watched as the ground trembled slightly, rumbling as the crust beneath shifted. Then he lifted his hand, and beneath it, she could see a clear mineral rising from the floor. His chakra entered it, and it began to take on the form of a kunai. It was completed with the last drop of his chakra, and as the newly-forged weapon dropped to the floor with Kisho's hand, Sakura knew he was already gone.

Sorrow rose to the front of her mind, but she pushed it back. There would be time to mourn later. Right now she had a job to do. Sliding the kunai from underneath Kisho's limp hand, she raised it to eye level and studied it. Her eyes widened as she realized that it was made from one solid diamond. There must have been a deposit of it deep below them. Kisho must have had an amazing sense of the earth to know it was there. It was worth more money than she would ever see in her lifetime, but she would never part with it.

Climbing to her feet with the kunai still in her grip, she turned to where Kisame was lying on the ground. She thought he was dead until she approached him and he opened his eyes. "Kisame! Are you okay?" she asked as she checked his pulse and looked him over for any sign of injury.

"Heh, it takes more than that to get rid of me, Zombie Chick." he said, his voice sounding gravely as he brushed bits of glass off and struggled to sit up.

"I'm surprised there's no physical damage. Did you find some way out of Madara's jutsu?"

"Not quite. That bastard just forgot who my partner was." he replied with a grunt as he removed an embedded shard of glass from his arm. "Itachi used to let me train inside the Tsukiyomi. He never trusted Madara, so he allowed me build up a resistance to the Sharingan in exchange for keeping an eye on Sasuke whenever I could. I never learned how to break free, but I did learn how to fight the nightmares inside. Once I realized that my jutsu were having no effect on him, all I had to do was stop fighting."

"Keep an eye on Sasuke? But I thought-"

Kisame smirked. "You thought they hated each other? Sasuke hated Itachi, but that's what he wanted. Itachi never actually told me, but trust me, it wasn't fate that kept his brother alive the night his clan was slaughtered." He narrowed his eyes as he looked past her to where the statue had been. "If there's one thing you should know by now, it's that nothing should ever be taken at face value with an Uchiha."

Climbing to his feet, Kisame looked around until he spotted Samehada, lying several yards away. He started to retrieve it when he passed Kisho's body and paused. "Didn't make it, huh? Too bad, and I was just starting to like the kid."

Hidan's distant shouting reminded Sakura that she had very little time left. Standing up, she headed over to where Pein was standing, his hands on Konan's shoulders. The kunoichi was facing his chest, so Sakura couldn't see the expression on her face, but it was obvious that she was still recovering from the effects of Madara's jutsu. Stopping a few feet from them, Sakura met Pein's gaze. "Is she alright?"

"Yes."

"Thanks to you." Konan said, looking up at Pein who was concentrating on removing the glass from her hair. "If you hadn't reached out to me with your chakra, I would have died trying to kill him."

"How did you manage to do that?" Sakura asked.

Konan turned to look at her, a small smile on her lips. "You and Hidan aren't the only one with bonds. Both of our piercings are actually chakra receivers. Pein can reach me no matter where I am." Her look suddenly turned serious. "But if you tell anyone, we'll kill you."

"But if both of you are receiving chakra, then who's..."

"There's no time for this." Pein interrupted her with a hard look at Konan. "We still have a fight to finish."

"Right." came Kisame's voice from behind her. Sakura turned to see him standing there with a smirk on his face, Samehada balanced on his shoulder. "Let's go dance."

Sakura stepped back, placing the diamond kunai in her weapons pouch. With the help of her chakra-infused muscles, she easily lifted Naruto to her shoulder. Kisame jumped to the ledge above first, followed by Pein and Konan, with Sakura bringing up the rear. When they reached the surface, the sight that greeted them made them freeze for several moments. Madara was once again standing on the head of the statue, surrounded by the globe-shaped barrier of blue chakra. It encompassed both the head and arms of the ten tails' body. Chakra slowly poured from the opened mouth to coalesce in a pool above the Uchiha's head, bending to his will as his jutsu continued. The sight of Hidan jumping into the air to attack the barrier again broke Sakura out of her stillness. They were running out of time. She couldn't afford the luxury of gawking.

Turning as she broke into a dead run, Sakura headed for the treeline, feet squelching in the sodden earth. Warm rain poured down the back of her neck, forming rivulets that soaked into her clothes. Ignoring it, she counted the distance as she ran, hoping she could get Naruto far enough away to be safe until he woke up. When she found a fairly well protected section of the woods, she stopped. Sakura lay him behind a large boulder, checked his vitals one more time, then turned to rejoin the others. She hadn't even regained her feet when his arm came up, holding her in place with a tight grip.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, a mixture of relief and confusion in his voice.

"I'm glad you're awake, Naruto-kun. How do you feel?"

He didn't answer her right away, a look of realization, morphing to bewilderment, appearing on his face. Suddenly he sat up, letting her go, to yank his shirt up and stare down at his stomach. The swirling black marks that had lay over his belly button were gone. He looked back up at her. "What the hell happened? The Kyuubi..."

"The extraction was successful." Sakura answered him in as even a voice as she could muster. "Madara has control of the ten-tails now."

The mass of chakra pouring out of the statue caught Naruto's attention and he looked up, eyes wide in surprise. "What the hell? That's Shukaku's chakra! What's the Akatsuki thinking? If Shukaku is released without a jinchuriki to control it, innocent people could die! Don't they even care?"

"It's not us. We were…" she fell silent for a moment, her hands fisting in her damp cloak as she continued "we were betrayed."

Naruto looked down at her arm, as if he just noticed the way she was dressed, then back up at her face. Meeting his gaze, she nearly cringed at the hurt look in his eyes. She knew this moment would come eventually, but she had hoped she would have more time to prepare for it. "Naruto…I'm-"

"Don't apologize to me, Sakura. I just want to know why. Why didn't you come back?"

"I couldn't."

He grabbed a handful of her cloak in his fist. "Then why this? You betrayed Konoha, just like Sasuke. How could you?" he asked, the anger in his voice making her flinch.

A loud shout from behind them caught her attention. The battle was beginning in earnest now. "There's no time to explain, Naruto. You have to go after Sasuke."

"Sasuke? You've seen him?"

"Yes. He's working with the Akatsuki." She paused. "No, he's working for Madara. But you have to go after him. He's going to try and kill the Kages at a meeting they're having. Please, Naruto."

"You're coming with me." he commanded. "Even if I have to drag you and Sasuke both back to Konoha."

"I can't Naruto. I have to stop Madara. If he wins here, he's heading straight to Konoha to destroy it. You go save Tsunade-sama. I'll protect Konoha."

Naruto tried to stand up, but only managed to get halfway before he landed back on the ground. Sakura pressed a glowing palm to his chest. "Extracting the kyuubi damaged your chakra points. Let me heal you."

As her warm, tingling chakra flooded his system, Naruto watched her face. She looked different somehow. Her eyes looked older, sadder, the way Tsunade's looked when she was deep in thought and didn't know anyone was watching her. And the stern expression on her face as she concentrated made her look stronger. There was no uncertainty at all coming from her. Whatever happened to her while she was with the Akatsuki had changed her. Whether it was a good or bad thing was yet to be seen. But if there was one thing he knew about his friend, it was that she cared about people, and never tried to hurt anyone she didn't have to. He would just have to trust that she knew what she was doing, even if every part of him screamed to knock her out and race back to Konoha, consequences be damned.

After she finished, Sakura stood and Naruto climbed to his feet. Indecision crossed his face as he looked at the statue, with its growing mass of chakra, then back to her. "Sakura-chan, I can't just leave you alone."

A small smile formed as her eyes met his. The violet flecks he had never noticed before seemed to glow. "I'll be fine. Besides, I'm not alone. I have four of the world's best shinobi helping me. But you need to hurry now. Sasuke is fast and it will take a lot to catch up to him." she said as she pointed him in the right direction.

He was just about to go when she squeaked and grabbed her side. "Damn it." she cursed. Then she suddenly looked better as she noticed him stalling and waved him off. "Go on, Naruto! I have to get back to Hidan, he needs me." Turning, she took off, towards the statue.

After she was gone, Naruto stared in the direction she had indicated. Then he looked back at the eye in the center of the statue that he instinctively knew held the kyuubi, the monster that had shared his life for as long as he could remember. He might trust Sakura to do the right thing, and she might be strong enough now to handle the chakra monsters, but there was no way in hell he was letting her do it alone. Forming a seal, he took off running, as driven as the rain that soaked his hair and threatened to blind his eyes.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

xxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time Sakura made it back to the rest of the Akatsuki, she found that her problems had gone from bad to worse. One of the eyes in the statue was completely closed, the chakra that it once contained rapidly forming a physical body. The barrier still held, unaffected by all attacks, which meant there was no way to get to Madara yet. A second eye was starting to droop as an even stronger chakra began emerging from the statue's mouth.

Sakura's heart leaped into her throat as the familiar sight of Gaara's demon materialized, sand separating itself from the creature to drift around in little suspended streams. Madara formed another seal, and the barrier suddenly dissolved to make room for the large body of the raccoon dog. As soon as it did, Hidan and Kisame halted their attack, withdrawing to reassess their strategy. Attacking a completely freed tailed beast was far different from facing one subdued within a jinchuriki. Unfettered, Shukaku was twice as dangerous as when he was released by Gaara, and the icy look in his star-shaped eyes promised death as they fixed on Sakura. Did it recognize her from before? Or was Madara's control so strong that it repressed all of the demon's memories as well as its will?

"Shukaku! It's me, Sakura. I'm a friend of Gaara's. If you can hear me, you need to fight Madara. He's the one trying to kill you. Don't let him control you!" she yelled up at the demon before holding her breath for a favorable response.

Madara laughed at her, his concentration on his jutsu never wavering as Shukaku echoed the sentiment. "Nice try, but futile. Not even the kyuubi can resist me. What makes you think a weak thing like this can do it?"

The second stream of chakra that was now pouring from the statue collected in a mass beside the raccoon dog. It appeared as the two-tailed cat for only a moment before its form became unstable. Its image wavered and blurred, the far side becoming almost ghostlike. The visible chakra around it was being drawn to Shukaku, and slowly absorbed. As it gained in strength, the tail behind Shukaku grew larger, two small splits starting to appear at the very end. His body also took on a more bluish tone, and Sakura could almost swear the swirling navy marks on his massive belly were beginning to shift and change.

"Well, what now?" Kisame asked, wiping moisture from his brow even as more raindrops gravitated towards him.

"Sit back and watch." Hidan replied smugly.

"No." Pein said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him expectantly, and Hidan frowned. "We attack together. The faster he is defeated, the easier it will be."

"I agree." Sakura said. "We need to keep Shukaku and the two-tails from merging. If that happens, he will be at least as strong as the three-tailed turtle, if not stronger."

"What are we standing around for, then? Let's get to it." Kisame said with a smirk as he swiftly unwrapped Samehada. The great sword was vibrating violently, evidently excited by the presence of the demon's chakra.

Pein seemed to fall deep into concentration for a few seconds before he fired off everyone's attack positions. "Konan, take the eyes. Keep him blind. Sakura, disable the legs. I'll deflect his attacks while Kisame uses Samehada to attack. Hidan, you've got the tail."

"The tail? What the fuck do you want me to do with his tail?" Hidan questioned, obviously displeased.

"Keep it from hitting us so we can do our jobs." Pein replied sternly.

By the time they had their plans made, over three quarters of the two-tails' chakra had been absorbed. Shukaku was definitely blue now, with tan streaks dispersed throughout. His forked tail twitched wildly, like an agitated cat, the three ends falling in different directions. The sand that had circled him now spun and twisted, creating small tornadoes that danced around him.

As a unit, Sakura and Pein rushed forward, closely followed by Kisame and Hidan. Konan stayed where she was, pulling a handful of paper out of her pouch. As she folded them, her wings manifested, lifting her into the air. Her chakra kept the rain from soaking into the sheets and sinking her back to the ground. By the time she had reached the height of Shukaku's face, she had a dozen paper sparrows in her hands. She released them, and they took flight, heading straight for Shukaku's face. The chakra demon hadn't noticed her, his attention drawn to the ground where Sakura was punching the ground repeatedly, ripping gaps in the earth and forcing him to keep moving to stay upright.

The sparrows reached their target just as Hidan's scythe came down on his tail. Roaring, Shukaku swung his clawed arms in an arc, sending a wall of hot sand forward as he opened his mouth and incinerated the sparrows with a blast of fire. Pein jumped in front of Sakura, lifting his hand and focusing his chakra.

"Almighty Push."

The sand hit a barrier of energy, halted, then reversed direction, heading back toward Shukaku. Breathing harder than normal, Pein dropped his hand and stepped back. Sakura resumed her task of trying to knock the chakra demon's legs out from under him. It was frustrating, because not only was he large enough to easily move out of her attack range, Madara could see her attacks coming and direct the beast out of harm's way. But she had to keep trying. Eventually there would be an opening, and they had to be ready for it.

That opportunity came sooner than expected. A blur of orange and black and familiar chakra raced past Sakura and Pein, around the distracted demon, and right up the body of the statue. Realizing what was going on, Sakura turned and yelled at Kisame, who was preparing to launch water missiles at Shukaku. "Kisame! Go now!"

Stopping mid-jutsu, Kisame took off like a bolt of lightning towards the chakra demon, Samehada securely held in one hand. Praying they both made it before Naruto's clone was destroyed, Sakura pumped chakra to both fists before slamming them to the ground. Twin fissures raced towards her target, widening until it was one large gap in the ground. Above them, Konan had seen Kisame rush forward, and was relentlessly pounding Shukaku's face with paper bullets from her wings. Sakura held her breath and waited.

Swearing eloquently, Madara dispatched Naruto's clone with a well-aimed kick to the head. He knew what they were doing, but knowing didn't stop it. He returned to standing just in time to see two of Shukaku's legs fall into the new crack in the earth. Blinded by Konan, he could neither dodge or counterattack on his own. Before his body could hit the ground, Hidan landed on Shukaku from above, sinking his scythe deep into his neck. Kisame repeated the action from below, and in one fluid motion, they beheaded him. Time seemed to slow as the bluish head of the raccoon dog rolled forward and hit the ground. Then there was a deafening roar as his whole body exploded.

Sakura watched as Kisame and Hidan were blown in opposite directions. Without anything to brace herself with, Konan was sent tumbling up and back. Then the world went tilted as the shock wave hit her and she went sailing through the air. She crashed into Pein, who caught her and deflected the loosed energy at the same time. A sharp pain went racing up her spine as she felt Hidan land hard on the ground. Automatically, her mind wrapped around the sensation, pulling it in, holding it close to her until it no longer hurt, but felt good. Warmth flooded her as she felt Hidan's approval. Then an enraged shout broke her momentary distraction.

Hidan was standing where Shukaku had been, shaking his scythe at Madara. "Is that all you've got, dumb fuck?"

Madara's eyes narrowed. "I'm going to crush you all."

Pein stepped around Sakura to watch their altercation. "This is good. I've never seen Madara this angry. Dispersing Shukaku and the two-tails' chakra must have thwarted his plans."

"It will take years for them to manifest again. And when they do, no one will know where they will be." Sakura added.

'Good', as Pein said it, was put into relative terms when Madara slammed his hand onto the head of the statue, and with a blast of chakra, split it in two. He teleported out of sight as the whole thing began to crumble. Hidan had to retreat as well, to avoid being crushed as large chunks of stone rained down around him. Chakra poured from every opening, separating into seven pools before condensing and forming individual bodies. The air grew heavy with the presence of so much energy, the rain slanting at an odd angle away from them. By the time the last piece of ruined statue lay still, the remaining seven tailed beasts stood where the trees had once been, eyes trained on the Akatsuki. From his new perch on the nine-tails' head, Madara gave them a wave.

Hidan, Kisame and Konan quickly regrouped with Pein and Sakura. The two kunoichi exchanged worried looks. It had taken all of them plus Naruto's interference just to take down two of them. What were they going to do against seven that were even more powerful?

As if hearing the unspoken question, Pein stepped to the front of the group and turned to face them. "If any of you wish to withdraw, do so now."

Hidan and Sakura immediately shook their heads. "Jashin-sama wants Madara fucking dead. I'm not trusting you heathen pussies to do it for us." Hidan snorted.

"You know I'm not going anywhere." Konan said in a soft voice.

Kisame grinned, a feral light making his eyes gleam. "No offense, Leader-sama, but I'm not walking away from the one fight that will overshadow any accomplishment the other ninja villages can achieve."

Hidan grinned. "Damn, Fish-Boy, It's not like the world won't remember it's only blue land-faring shark. Who can fucking forget that?"

"Piss off, Zombie Dick."

"Bite me."

"Gladly." Kisame retorted with a loud snap of his sharp teeth.

"If were going to do this, we'd better get started." Sakura said, interrupting their colorful banter and pointing to the tailed beasts. "Because they are starting the party without us."

Sure enough, the four-tailed monkey and the eight-tailed ox were on the move. But they weren't heading towards the Akatsuki. Instead, their path took them right towards Amegakure. "Pein, the village." Konan said, trepidation slipping through into her voice.

"I'll go after them." Pein stated. "Hidan, Sakura, go after Madara and the nine tails. Since you both can't die, you will have the best chance against him. Konan, Kisame, keep the rest of the chakra monsters off of Hidan and Sakura. Defeat them if you can, but remember, once Madara is down, they will be even more dangerous."

After a round of quick nods, they split up, each heading in their targets' direction. Sakura said a swift prayer for courage, and reaching into her pouch, pulled out Jashin's scroll and Kisho's dagger, ignoring the slight flare of Naruto's chakra emanating from the clone behind her.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Kisame ran his thumb absently over the leather bindings of Samehada's hilt as he took off after Hidan and Sakura. They were already forging ahead, weapons drawn as they raced side by side towards the forbidding nine-tailed fox. Not surprisingly, one of the fox container's bunshin was tagging along behind, bright orange and black standing out sharply. The shark-nin's nervous habit abruptly ceased as he spotted the three-tailed turtle lumbering towards them. Pushing himself to run harder, Kisame moved to intercept the beast. It saw him and shifted direction, apparently satisfied with the appearance of a clear opponent.

There wasn't much room to fight in the tree littered clearing, so he would have to be precise with his jutsu to avoid hitting one of his allies. The three-tails evidently didn't have the same consideration; moments later an unnatural mist was sent curling Kisame's way, shrouding over the six-tailed slug as it came. The other beast let out an unnatural shriek before moving out of the turtle's range. Recognizing what was coming, Kisame brought Samehada in front of him, closing his eyes as he held his breath.

It might have looked like an ordinary attempt to reduce visibility, but he knew better. Before he left Water country, he had access to the restricted files on the three tails' development while it was sealed inside their leader. This particular jutsu created a hallucinogen in the mist that, when inhaled, took advantage of whatever the opponent disliked most about themselves and reproduced it via genjutsu. And it was a good thing he could hold his breath for a long time, because the jutsu lasted several minutes. The last thing he needed was to fight with himself as well as the beast in front of him. Once was enough already.

Counting down the time in his head while keeping a proverbial eye on the chakra around him, Kisame tried to recall as many details about the turtle as he could. He wasn't sure how much direct control Madara had over it at the moment, but he was sure that it would know better than to use water based jutsu on him. Luckily, that reduced his known available jutsu considerably. As long as he avoided being hit with a physical attack, he should be fine. The turtle might be better defended and have more chakra, but Kisame was faster. Now all he had to do was find a weak point in the beast's armor.

Unlike most turtles, this one didn't seem able to retract its head, so there wasn't any kind of opening in the shell. The crab-like underbelly was just as hard as the top, so attacking there wouldn't work either. He wasn't allowed to ponder on it further, because Samehada started quivering, and he felt the three tails' chakra close in on him. Opening his eyes, he threw himself to the left just in time to avoid a slash with one of the shrimp-like tails. The mist cleared and Kisame took a deep breath. The reptile glared at him out of his red-orange flecked right eye. It then swung its head forward again and opened its mouth, forming a large, white ball with its chakra.

The chakra shockwave was sent his way, and Kisame's target was temporarily lost from sight. Releasing Samehada's energy absorbing ability, Kisame swung the weapon in a wide arc. Bits of bandage scattered as the wall of energy passed harmlessly around him. Stilling, he noticed that the turtle was staring at him with his right eye again. He had a feeling there was something he was missing. Some weakness he was overlooking. Maybe another viewpoint would help.

Using the break in attacks, Kisame drew in the heavy moisture around him and created a shark missile, sending it straight towards the three-tails. He knew it would have virtually no effect, but he took advantage of the distraction to use a replacement jutsu. The henged tree branch took the brunt of the return attack as Kisame watched from the left. The turtle lowered its head as the trick was revealed, anger showing in its right eye.

Kisame smirked from his position behind a tree as the turtle swung its head in the opposite direction, trying to locate him. His hunch had been correct. The turtle's left eye was closed, a jagged scar running across it. It had somehow been injured previously and couldn't see on that side. There was his opening. And with Madara's concentration in so many places at once, taking the turtle out would actually be easier than the previous battle with Shukaku.

Adjusting his grip on his weapon, Kisame waited until the three-tails was facing away from him again. Then he charged, sword raised. He had almost made his target when a clattering of hooves warned him out of the way just before a large blur reached the position he had previously held. When it rumbled to a halt and turned to face him, Kisame recognized the form of the five-tailed dolphin-horse. Although somewhat smaller in comparison to it's biju brothers, the dolphin-horse made up for it with speed and accuracy. And combined with the three-tails' strength, it would be nearly unstoppable.

Kisame's smirk widened into a full-blown grin. So, Madara was taking him seriously enough to send another chakra beast to fight him. Good. He'd hate to be underestimated.

The battle picked up speed from there, with Kisame using physical attacks on the turtle, and sending jutsu to the dolphin-horse. With twice the attacks coming at him, he barely had time to form hand seals before he was blocking one or the other. But despite his large size, he danced around the majority of the jutsu with ease, and Samehada fended off tail slashes, enraged charges and the occasional field-encompassing jutsu. The problem was, between the turtle's strength and the five-tails' speed, his attacks were nullified just as easily.

The minutes dragged by as both sides did their best to wear the other down without compromising their own strength. Never before had Kisame had to fight with such large-scale jutsu for such an extended period of time. Twice he had to partially merge with Samehada to replenish his chakra. Eventually, he thought to himself with amusement, he would have the turtle completely absorbed. It would just be too bad he couldn't recall the entire amount of chakra at once. Now that would make for some interesting fighting.

At last the dolphin-horse was pushed back and the turtle had his blind side exposed. Now on the offensive, Kisame charged forward, sinking Samehada deep into the turtle's neck. Forcing through the tissue barrier with a squelch, he tried to behead the turtle. The skin and muscle was too thick, however, and the sword stopped halfway. Withdrawing it, he watched in satisfaction as blood and chakra poured from the wound. Kisame lifted the weapon to strike again, before it could retaliate.

Out of nowhere, the five-tailed dolphin-horse slammed into him, sending Kisame flying through the air. Pain ripped through his body as he crashed into a tree, the impact sending stars dancing behind his eyes. He landed in a heap on the ground, upright, with his legs stretched out in front of him. Struggling to fight through it, he tried to bring Samehada up to block the next attack, only to find his hand empty. He must have dropped the sword when he was hit. He tried to locate it, but his eyesight was blurry, and it was difficult to focus. Plus, when he moved his arm, a sharp stabbing pain drove itself into his back. At least three of his vertebra were either broken or crushed. He heard a pained scream from Konan somewhere nearby, the sound cutting straight into his animalistic instincts and forcing him to focus. His vision cleared a minute later and the pain momentarily subsided. He spotted his sword on the ground where he had been standing moments ago. Damn, he didn't have enough chakra left to draw Samehada to him, and the dolphin-horse was standing between them, preparing to attack, so he couldn't just get up and go get it either.

So, why wasn't the sword coming to him? Peering closer, he saw that Samehada was quivering on the ground, attempting to move forward. It edged its way sideways, then stopped as if it hit an invisible barrier. That was it. The sword was being suppressed by the five-tails' chakra, and without Kisame to aid it, it couldn't eat its way through. Frustration hit the shark ninja for the first time in the battle. His sword was gone, he was out of chakra, laid out on the ground like a weak genin, and the dolphin-horse had just started forward to finish him.

Well, he wasn't just going to stay here and take it. Fuck dying on his ass. He was an elite missing ninja from Bloody Hidden Mist, he told himself, and former member of the Seven Swordsman. More than that, he was an Akatsuki, and there was no way in hell he would disgrace himself like this. Drawing upon the iron will that made him a relentless fighter, Kisame gripped the fallen tree behind him and forced his body upright. Pain shot up his destroyed spine again, making him clench his teeth hard just to stay conscious through it. Blood welled up in his throat, and he spit it out, despising the coppery taste left behind.

It was funny, he thought as he watched the chakra beast bear down on him, how calm and focused he was, knowing his time was up. He should be terrified of the oblivion that awaited him, of the darkness, but he had never been afraid of anything in his life. He had met the challenges of his existence head on, and that's the way he would end it. No excuses, no regrets. That would be the way the world remembered Hoshigaki Kisame.

He stared down the dolphin-horse as it charged him again, yellow eyes blazing with defiance. He would have ran to meet the beast, but his body wouldn't allow him any more than standing. So he waited patiently as the five-tails neared, head lowered, tails streaming out behind. Just as it reached him and started to bowl him over, Kisame let out a roar and wrapped his arms around it's neck, twisting with all his might.

A sickening crunch sounded as the beast's neck snapped, and both bodies went crashing to the ground, the momentum carrying Kisame and the five-tails several yards backwards. He felt his skull shatter as his head hit the ground hard, and everything flashed a bright white before the world went black.

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Konan watched the monsters in front of her, trying to figure out in which order Madara would send them in to attack. If there was anything that life had taught her over the years, it was that strategy was just as important as strength. The three-tailed turtle was already in action, and currently being engaged by Kisame. The rest of the chakra beasts stood at the ready, their fanned out tails swishing in anticipation. She hoped the horned beetle would be sent out next. Against it, she would have a decent chance with her ability to become airborne.

Luck was on her side. The seven-tails rose into the air, intent on attacking Hidan and Sakura from above. Flying through a set of hand seals, Konan released her slips of paper. They rose into the air before lying flat and interlocking. A domino effect was started, creating a paper barrier between the beetle and the shinobi on the ground, blinding it to their movements. Manifesting her paper wings again, Konan rose into the air, easily sliding through her shield to face her chosen opponent.

The beetle had circled higher, and was preparing to dive through the barrier. While the shield would take some abuse, it wouldn't hold against him. Konan had to draw its attention to her. Launching herself forward, she flew towards it, swiftly folding several paper kunai as she went. Throwing them as hard as she could, she found her target. The kunai hit the beetle between the neck and body segments, but did not penetrate. She did succeed in distracting it though, and the seven-tails righted itself in the air as it stared her down.

Then with a flap of wings, it was gone. Not wasting any time trying to find it, Konan tucked her shoulder inward and rolled to the right. A whoosh of wind sounded a second later as the spiked seventh tail narrowly missed her, slicing through the air where she had just been. Turning her head to see where the attack had come from, she was once again met with empty sky. Flapping her wings in front of her, she sent herself sailing backwards just as the beetle charged her from below.

Damn, it was fast. At this rate, she would be in trouble if her chakra started running low and she couldn't use her wings to dodge. She had to find a way to slow it down. But she had no time to come up with something when it was bombarding her with attacks so fast she couldn't even see them. An idea suddenly struck her. Creating a paper clone, she dropped below the paper barrier, emerging several yards away. The beetle was above her clone, diving down at an incredible speed. Forming several hand seals, she held her breath and waited for just the right moment.

The beetle sliced through the clone, sending a shower of paper whirling across the sky. Releasing her jutsu, Konan took control of her chakra infused paper. The sheets straightened until they were stiff, and were drawn to the beetle like a magnet. Layer upon layer, they wrapped around the beetle until it was covered. But it wasn't going to be enough. Two of the tails were nearly free already, and it looked like the restraints would burst at any moment. Releasing the barrier below, Konan used that paper to completely encase the seven-tails. Without its wings to keep it aloft, the chakra beast fell towards the earth like a stone.

The seven-tails landed right on top of the six-tailed slug, which let out a gurgling shriek at the sudden assault. Hoping to finish them both off before they could counterattack, Konan brought her wings forward and pelted them with paper projectiles. Unfortunately, not very many of them penetrated the slug, and all of the projectiles bounced off the beetle. She would have to get in close for her attacks to be even remotely effective.

Creating a paper spear, she dove towards the six-tails, leaving the incapacitated seven-tails for second. Hope swept over her as the tip of the spear penetrated the slug's head. She just might be able to do this. But there were no bones to slow her descent, and as her weapon sunk deeper, Konan landed face first on top of the slug. Slime coated her from the slug's body, and when she tried to draw back, Konan found herself unable to stand. The sticky fluid clung to her, holding her in place. Her wings were stuck as well, leaving her with no leverage to use. Her breath caught as panic tried to creep its way into her mind. Refusing to give in, she angled her body so she would roll off of the slug and onto the relative safety of the ground.

Just as gravity was starting to work for her, the seven-tails broke free of its bond. Konan didn't even have time to look as the long, seventh tail of the beetle pierced her abdomen from behind, tearing a gash almost the length of her stomach. A scream was ripped from her throat as she fell, landing in a puddle of slime. Fighting through the pain, she tried to stand. If she didn't get away so she could collect herself, she would be killed for sure. That was when she felt the burning on her hands and face. Looking down at her blistering skin in horror, she realized that the puddle she had landed in was acidic.

Drawing up strength she didn't know she had, Konan fought her way out of the puddle. The acid was eating her clothes, so she took off her cloak as quickly as she could, wiping her face and hands with the inside before tossing it away from her. Her eyes started burning, and she closed them to produce tears and keep the acid from blinding her. From behind, she could feel the combined chakra of the two beasts pressing down on her. Unable to continue the fight, she turned to the side and took off towards the treeline. She was running blindly, but at least she knew where the tailed beasts were by their chakra.

Konan didn't see the beetle as it lifted its tail to score another hit on her, nor did she see the slug as it spewed more acidic slime in her direction. And she didn't see the edge of the hole that had once been the cave ceiling as she ran straight towards it. But she did know when her feet hit open air, and with another scream, began to fall.

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Pein pressed himself to run as fast as his body would allow him. Hopefully, the ninja on patrol had seen the coming threat and was raising the village's defenses. He already knew that the force of regular shinobi he commanded was inadequate to deal with the attack, but if they could hold the tailed beasts off long enough to evacuate the civilians, it would be enough.

As he caught up with the ox and monkey, Pein tried to draw their attention to him. They ignored his threats, and the meager kunai he threw as he ran did nothing. It was the village Madara wanted, not him. He knew Pein would die defending it, and was delighting in hitting him in one of the few vulnerable spots he had left. The beasts came to a halt just outside the entrance. Pein ran past them, knowing he had mere seconds before they started unleashing concentrated chakra attacks. There were nearly a dozen shinobi standing in front of him, weapons drawn, a mixture of awe and determination on their faces.

"Evacuate the village, now!" Pein shouted sternly at them as he came to a halt and turned to face the chakra monsters.

Half of the shinobi scurried to do his bidding, while the other half ran to stand behind him. "What do you want us to do, Pein-sama?" one of them asked.

"Attack with everything you have. Once your chakra is depleted, leave with the rest of the villagers."

"Yes, sir." a unison of voices answered him.

Shouts sounded from the streets as the alarm was raised, and several screams erupted as the civilians caught sight of the tailed beasts. Pein ignored the commotion, and focused on the four-tailed monkey, who had just punched a large crack in the earth, sending lava spewing into the air. Steam hissed and rose from the molten earth as it met the rain. Pein waited until the lava was making its descent toward the village before lifting his hand.

"Almighty Push!"

The fireballs were sent sailing towards their maker, hitting his massive forearms and chest. The monkey roared in pain and charged forward in a swaying gallop, bent on crushing them with his huge fists.

While they were distracted with the four-tails, the eight-tailed ox launched a giant ball of chakra at the closest building. The collision was nearly deafening as the walls crumbled under the force of the blow. As if it were one of Konan's paper creations, the whole thing toppled over, crashing into the building across the street. The second structure held, but a giant hole was left where the building hit and it groaned heavily under the sudden weight placed on the foundation. The screaming coming from behind grew in intensity, and more than one of the shinobi with him glanced behind them. The eight-tails lowered his head and charged towards another building.

"Take care of this one, I'll go after the ox." Pein said as he took off again, not waiting for a response.

Behind him, the rain shinobi attacked the four-tailed monkey, the taijutsu users going first, giving the ninjutsu users time to prepare their attacks. Despite their coordinated efforts, they fell one by one, the power difference between them and the four-tails too great. At last only a couple of shinobi remained, fleeing through the village behind the civilians, too low on chakra or too afraid to continue the battle. Unhindered, the monkey resumed his attack on the village, destroying whatever it could lay its hands on.

Ahead of Pein, the eight-tails had sensed his approach and paused, swinging his horned head towards him. "Puppet." the ox spat.

"So, you've retained enough intelligence to speak. Impressive." Pein replied coolly, ignoring the intended insult.

The ox grunted. "Not as impressed as you'll be when I rip you apart."

With a howl reminiscent of his former jinchuriki, the eight-tails lowered his head and charged toward his opponent. Lifting his hand, Pein repelled the attack, forcing the biju back. Several of the ox's tails stretched to the sides, wrapping around poles and the corner of a building to slow himself down. Using the leverage like a slingshot, the ox launched himself forward again in a charge. Unable to use his jutsu just yet, Pein tried to dodge out of the way.

As he barely cleared the space between the hachibi's side and the surface of a building, Pein found himself cursing Madara's foresight in keeping him limited like this. Then he cursed himself for not seeing it coming. Even though he knew better than to trust the older shinobi, he didn't figure he would betray the Akatsuki so quickly. He was just glad that the majority of the other members took his side. Not that they had much choice, but they could have fled for their lives, leaving him to deal with the outcome of his mistakes.

As he passed the side of the beast, he threw a handful of shuriken at the opening created by his charge. They imbedded in his side, not doing much damage, but producing another howl anyway. Before he could land, one of the octopus-like tails wrapped around his body, slinging him back in the opposite direction. Luckily, there wasn't anything behind him, and Pein slid to a halt in the middle of the street. Changing the angle of his attack, Pein jumped to the right, and lifted his hand.

"Almighty Pull!"

The ox had already headed towards him again, and the force of Pein's jutsu pulled him ahead faster than his legs could keep up. Ducking out of the way as he neared, Pein watched as the massive creature crashed headfirst into a restaurant, toppling the chairs and tables set out under an awning. It didn't take him long to recover, and shaking his head to clear it, the beast rose and turned back to face his opponent.

"You'll pay for that, puppet." he sneered.

Raising up to his full height, the hachibi braced himself as a massive ball of black chakra started forming from his opened mouth. Unfortunately, what had saved Pein before was now a disadvantage. There was nothing close he could use to shield himself from the attack and he wouldn't be able to run fast enough to dodge it. He could only crouch down defensively as the ball was released. Using what chakra he had left, he tried to deflect the attack.

It was too soon, and he only managed to keep himself from being decimated as he was sent careening backwards. He hit the building on the opposite side, landing in a heap on the sidewalk with a muted thud. The force of the blow stunned him, and as he staggered to his feet, he was hit with one massive fist and was sent flying through the air again. This time he landed on his side, and he heard the crunch of bone before he felt it as his left arm was crushed by the impact.

Reacting on instinct, Pein rolled out of the way as a fist came crashing down, cracking the sidewalk where he had lain moments ago. Regaining his feet, he took off, pelting the ox with kunai and shuriken as he went. He was on the defensive now, one of the few times he had to since achieving this state. He ducked behind a stray table just as the hachibi's tail lashed out, nearly catching him in its grip again. The table was demolished instead, and Pein used the momentary confusion to change positions and charge, kunai in hand. Darting in a zigzag, he managed to keep the hachibi off balance enough to allow him to jump clear of the tails and land squarely between the ox's shoulders. He plunged the knife deeply before he was knocked to the street by another sweep of a tail.

Pein landed with a rib-breaking crunch, the jar of the impact stunning him again. Lying there for several seconds, he listened to the sound of the eight-tails trying to dislodge the kunai, and the roar that followed when he succeeded. By that time, he had regained enough strength to roll to a sitting position and assess the damage to his body. He wouldn't last much longer now, and if something else wasn't done, the village would be lost. He would fail, as leader of the people of Rain, as leader of the Akatsuki, as Konan's friend, partner and protector. Well, that would never do. He had ascended to a divine incarnation of suffering, and a god never failed. Forcing himself to his feet, he gripped his last remaining kunai in his good hand and waited for the hachibi's next attack.

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Nagato lifted his head and opened his eyes, staring into the darkness that surrounded him. The sounds of the buildings falling in the village reached his ears through the thick walls. Ame was being torn to pieces, and there was little he could do about it. Yahiko's body was badly damaged. If he didn't pull him from the battle, there would be nothing left to save and Konan would be alone. That, he would not allow.

Reaching out to her, Nagato found that Konan's chakra was weak but still there. She must have been defeated, but was still alive. Directing Pein to return to her side, Nagato straightened as much as his body would allow, and willed the machine that contained him forward. He could use his most powerful attack to repel the beasts and still have enough chakra for his final jutsu. But he couldn't do it at a distance, it would drain him too much and he would fail if he tried. Reaching the doorway, he pushed forward, crashing through the flimsy false wall and into the office. Bright light assaulted his sensitive eyes, and they automatically tried to close for protection. He forced them to remain open, even as they watered and burned, trying to adjust to the change.

Turning toward the nearest window, he released the illusion jutsu protecting the lift that had been hiding there. When he was situated over the middle, he sent his chakra to the receiver lying over the switch. The resulting vibration activated the lift, and he was soon lowered into the room below. There were no windows, and only one door, leading to the outside. It too, was protected by a jutsu. Letting it drop, he forced his way through, and onto the street outside. He couldn't see the tailed beasts from where he was, but he could hear them. They were a couple of blocks over, tearing into what used to be the building that housed the Akatsuki's meeting rooms and guest suites. They never trusted anyone enough to bring them to their base, unless of course, they were in their custody, or were going to be disposed of immediately afterward.

The metal legs beneath him clanked and whirred as he headed towards the monsters destroying his village. The closer he got, the heavier the devastation around him became. Chunks of buildings were everywhere, along with various articles of furniture that were caught in the blows as well; desks, beds, broken chairs getting soaked in the driving rain. Bodies were strewn about too, the unfortunate victims of bad timing and chance. Rivulets of rainwater ran red as they made their way across the sidewalks and into the drains below.

Nagato pushed the sights from him as he rounded a block and he could finally see his targets. The four-tailed monkey was on the roof of one of the larger buildings, laying waste to the houses around it with a combination of chakra-infused boulders and fireballs. The eight-tails was closer, flooding the streets with inky black water as giant waves slammed into what was left of the market district. Luckily, Pein was well away from the flooding, so wouldn't be caught in it trying to reach Konan.

Closing his eyes, Nagato concentrated on his chakra. Upward into the clouds it went, halting the downpour and merging with the droplets of water waiting to be released as rain. He felt the change take place, and soon his jutsu was ready to be unleashed. Anyone left behind would be killed almost instantly, but it was a sacrifice he had to make in order for those who had already escaped to survive. He had little doubt that Madara would pursue them should he fail here. Opening his eyes, Nagato found himself face to face with the eight-tails, who had seen him and was now towering over him, huge puffs of breath stirring Nagato's heavy fall of red hair.

"You emerge at last. Time to die, Nagato!" the hachibi bellowed.

"Not before you." he replied. "Kami's Tears of Pain!"

The clouds above burst, sending a shower of acid rain rocketing downward. Nagato quickly moved under the shelter of the nearest overhang as the first drops made contact with the ground, pitting the concrete and sending green vapor dancing into the air. One hit his shoulder, searing the flesh and sending pain coursing down his arm. He ignored it, watching as the rain intensified until it was coming down in sheets. The acid rain that hit his machine began eating away the metal, pushing him further against the building next to him.

For once, the biju's massive size was their weakness. The monkey and ox began bellowing loudly as the rain found its targets, driving them from their positions towards the edge of the village. The four-tailed monkey never made it to safety. The acid driving into his flesh ate at him until he collapsed in the street, his body exploding in a shower of chakra, fire and earth. The eight-tails made it out, but four of his tails were burned completely off and two of his three horns were melted to the side of his head from the acid. The will to fight fled him, and he retreated to where Madara was fighting with Hidan and Sakura.

More relieved than he would ever admit, Nagato waited until the jutsu ran its course before stepping back out into the street. As he made his way to the edge of the village, he took in the destruction around him. Over three quarters of the buildings were either destroyed completely or would have to be torn down and rebuilt. The number of dead was nearly countless. He might be able to claim victory, but it was a bitter one. But then again, he had always known that everyone lost in a fight. That was why he had tried so damn hard to find peace for the world. But instead, he had brought war to a place that had already seen far too much of it.

Nagato's attention was drawn to where the training ground once stood and he shoved his dark thoughts aside. Chakra flared and rolled as jutsu after jutsu was summoned and repelled. It was strange seeing this place with his own eyes instead of another's. But he had other things to worry about than his sight. What was left of the village was safe for the moment, but Madara was still out there, battling the Akatsuki. He might not make it in time to save them from death, but he still had one last trick up his sleeve that Madara would never see coming. He would win in the end, and the proud Uchiha would be left with nothing.

As his metal legs worked to keep him upright over the uneven ground, Nagato made his way to where Pein waited with Konan. The soft earth was rutted and split in numerous places, and the trees that weren't outright destroyed were scarred with gashes from blows that failed to reach their targets. Green slime now covered the ground in places, withering the vegetation around the treacherous pools of acid. He almost missed seeing Kisame's body, lying face down in the mud. If it hadn't been for the wide track of disturbed dirt leading up to him, he would have passed by without noticing the mud covered form. He continued towards his destination, more determined than before. He would repair the damage caused by Madara's deceit. He owed his shinobi that much.

And then he reached the edge of the cavern roof, just in time to see Pein jump out of the hole, Konan cradled in his arms, despite his injuries. She looked just as battle-worn as he was, covered in dirt, slime and blood. Her cloak was gone, the skin on her arms and face burnt and raw. The strong chakra that once surrounded her almost constantly was so feeble now he could barely detect it. The wound on her stomach was severe, the swelling of her abdomen indicating that she was bleeding heavily internally. Her breathing was shallow and rattling, more blood oozing from her lips with each breath. Her eyelids were parted slightly, the irises beneath clouded and glassy with pain. When he neared and her gaze rolled over him, she didn't even focus on his face. Nagato's heart sank.

She was dying.

With precious little time left, Nagato directed Pein to bring her closer. He did so, stretching her out on the ground before reaching inside his cloak and retrieving the wood box from its pocket. Pulling out the vial of blood he had been keeping, he uncorked the stopper and knelt down. Nagato closed his eyes and concentrated on building his chakra. This would be very risky. He had to perform two complicated jutsu, one right after the other, and if the timing wasn't exact, all three of them would die. His only comfort was that if he failed, none of them would be alone. For better or for worse, this was the end of it all. The Akatsuki, the shinobi from Hidden Rain, three close friends trying to find peace in a world of war. It was over.

In the dark recesses of his mind, the god of pain faded away, allowing the lost boy who had stayed sheltered there for so long to emerge. With the thrust of a kunai and a friend's dying words, he had hidden himself away from the world. Now it was time for him to return and set things right. To pull the kunai back before another hand grabbed it and forced him to hurt the people he loved. This time, he would save them both. Lifting his head to let the cooling moisture fall down his face and mingle with unbidden tears, Nagato began releasing his chakra as Konan's heart stopped beating.

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Hidan and Sakura raced towards their target, weapons at the ready. Naruto's clone followed right on their heels, kunai drawn. They skirted the three-tailed turtle's mist, grateful that it also blinded the slug's movements from them. A flare of chakra above alerted them to Konan's jutsu, and Sakura glanced up to see the paper shield fall into place, blocking the rain and the seven-tailed beetle from sight. The five-tailed dolphin-horse was too far away to reach them, and the other two had kept on course towards the village. Madara watched their progress, red eyes narrowed. His brow creased in concentration as he directed the seven chakra monsters while trying to anticipate Hidan's first move at the same time.

Beneath him, the kyuubi was gathering chakra for his first attack. The fox demon bared his teeth before lifting his head and releasing an ear-splitting shriek. The force of the sonic attack nearly drove the three oncoming shinobi to their knees. Sakura lifted both hands to her ears as she slowed and sent her chakra inside, surrounding and protecting the delicate hairs that controlled her equilibrium. Hidan merely ignored it, relying on his ability to heal quickly to counteract the blow. The clone had blood dripping from his ears, but it evidently wasn't enough to destroy it.

Hidan was the first to retaliate, rushing forward, scythe swinging as he attempted to hit whatever part of the fox was closest to him. The serious look on his face was replaced by a wild smirk as his violet eyes practically danced. Finally, he was doing what he did best. And he didn't have to hold back for anyone. He didn't have to stop at almost dead. He didn't have to do things any way but his own. His and Jashin's. He nearly laughed out loud as he dodged around a tail that was deceptively fast for its size. He was on the verge of sending Madara to a judgment that was long overdue, and he was feasting on the anticipation.

In contrast, Sakura hung back, face a stern mask of concentration, trying to figure out the best method of attack. In terms of chakra, they were outmatched and outclassed, and no jutsu they could perform could hope to change that. She watched Hidan dodge a swipe from a front paw as she pondered the physical aspect of it. The size difference between him and the fox was so great, he looked like a cat trying to attack an elephant. But size wasn't everything. Maybe the fox's body wasn't as strong since he had virtually unlimited chakra. There had to be balance somewhere. Sakura's face softened slightly. It was a long shot, but it was a place to start. And being immortal gave _her_ the advantage, thanks to Jashin.

Directing her chakra to her fists, Sakura tried to skirt around to the side. She wouldn't be able to attack from behind, the tails would be in the way. But if Hidan kept his attention forward, maybe she could land a blow to his soft underbelly, damaging his vital organs.

Suddenly, there was an opening. The kyuubi had stopped his thrashing and was gathering chakra for a menacing ball attack, leaving his defenses down. Rushing forward, Sakura aimed for the massive ribcage. But the closer she got, the harder it became to move forward. The chakra surrounding the fox was thick, and soon it felt like she was trying to run through water. She didn't make it in time, and the opportunity was gone as a blast of chakra went speeding towards Hidan and several of the deadly tails were sweeping towards her. She ground her teeth in frustration and backed out of range. She would have to help Hidan until another opportunity for attack presented itself.

Naruto's clone stopped on the fringe of the battle. He wanted nothing more than to jump right in and help his friend, but to do so would be a waste. He could only take one hit before he went down, and he had to wait for an opportunity that would give Sakura a clear advantage. He watched helplessly as time dragged on and one attack after another was repelled. Both Sakura and Hidan had several wounds on their arms and legs from glancing blows delivered with a lightning-quick paw or tail. If they had been any slower, they would have taken the hits full force, pulverizing them.

Then Sakura went down as she took a blow to the side from a tail. She rolled and landed right between the fox's front legs, on her back. Clutching the wounded side, she staggered to her feet. Noticing her there, the kyuubi drew it's clawed paw up and prepared to take a swipe at her. That was when the clone noticed the look on the fox's face. The rage he normally held was there in his gleaming, slitted eyes, but there was no satisfaction, no wicked grin signaling his pleasure at the carnage he was creating. He wasn't happy about what he was doing, and that was when Naruto's bunshin knew he had found his opening. Because if there was one thing he knew about the nine-tails, it was that the fox had a will as strong as his chakra. If he could break Madara's hold on him for even a few moments, things could turn in their favor. Rushing forward as Sakura braced herself for the inevitable blow, the clone started waving his arms to get the kyuubi's attention.

"Stupid fucking fox! Help us already!" he yelled at the beast, hoping the familiar words would jar the fox's consciousness.

Sakura heard Naruto's voice, and opened her eyes. For barely an instant, she saw the fox hesitate, paw frozen in mid-air, tails lashing behind him in agitation. It was working. He was fighting the hold Madara had on his will. The others saw it too, and Hidan and the clone raced forward to attack. Sakura rolled backward, rising swiftly as soon as her feet met the ground. Then the moment was gone and the claws that were meant for her imbedded themselves into Naruto's bunshin, who had intercepted the blow. The force sent the clone sailing sideways, knocking it out of existence with a pop and swirl of smoke.

Sakura didn't relax for an instant. She might have been saved, but as the smoke dissipated, she saw that Hidan had jumped up, aiming to land next to Madara. The kyuubi had lunged at him simultaneously, mouth open, fangs bared. There was no way to avoid it and she could only watch in horror as the attack succeeded, and Hidan was caught in the massive jaws below him. The snapping of bones could be heard as the fox's teeth closed around his body. He cried out, a mixture of glee and pain lacing his voice. Then, with a vicious shake, Hidan was sent flying through the air, blood spraying after him. He had dropped his scythe on the ground, and landed somewhere behind her. But Sakura didn't have time to look back and check on him. The kyuubi was open to an attack, and she had to take it now. The pain coursing through her from Hidan was almost overwhelming, but she found that if she concentrated on holding the sensation to her, she could move through it just as easily as if it weren't there at all.

Grabbing Hidan's fallen scythe, Sakura charged forward, right between the front paws of the kyuubi. Directing her chakra to her legs, she launched herself upwards, swinging the heavy weapon forward as she was racing towards the furry chest above her. The blades made contact, ripping through flesh and bone until it found it's target. The fox's heart was sliced through, and an ear-splitting howl shattered the air as the nine-tails lost its balance and fell over. Madara was sent flying off its head, landing on the ground in a heap. Sakura was caught by one of the massive paws, and was rolled to the left, tumbling roughly over the ground until a boulder stopped her flight, crumbling under the force of the impact as if she had punched it with her chakra. Her vision dimmed, and she thought she was going to lose consciousness. Blearily hanging on, she looked ahead to see that the kyuubi's head was directly in front of her, eyes wide. If she didn't know any better, she would have swore he was grinning at her.

"Not so foolish after all." the nine-tails whispered before he exploded in a blinding burst of chakra, sending Sakura, Hidan and Madara flying further backwards.

Once the world stopped spinning so much, Sakura pulled herself to a sitting position. The pressure of the chakra around her dissipated and it was then the full impact of the last few seconds sank in. They had defeated the kyuubi and she was alive! One down, one to go. As quickly as she could, she assessed the damage to her body. She was still cut and bleeding, but it was healing fast and she was otherwise unharmed. She could still fight. With the nine-tails gone, things were starting to turn in their favor.

Her celebration was short lived, however, when she saw Hidan. He was half-sitting, half-lying against the base of a tree. Blood was splashed across his chest, highlighting the wound in his stomach from the kyuubi's teeth. More blood flowed from his arms and legs as they hung limply around him. Climbing to her feet, she made her way over to him, keeping one eye on where Madara had landed several yards away. He was conscious still, and seemed to be gathering his wits.

Reaching Hidan's side, she sent her chakra into his body. In the confusion of the fight, he had managed to break the bond they had established, saving her from the brunt of the pain he was now going through. She was more dismayed to discover that his spine was crushed. He physically couldn't walk even if he wanted to. And she didn't have enough time to heal him before Madara's next attack. Praying that his body regenerated in time to help her, Sakura returned to her feet to face Madara, who was closing in on her, his face a mask of complete calm. The confident way he walked told her that he had already dealt with the loss of the biju and was just tying up loose ends before moving on to his next objective.

She was just about to rush forward to meet him when a loud roar from the direction of the village caught Sakura's attention. Her eyes widened when she took in the skyline of what had been a fairly peaceful village hours ago. Jagged holes in buildings stood where window and walls had once been. Several rooftops were on fire, smoke fighting its way skyward through the driving rain. Green vapor rose from the streets, creating an eerie halo around the figure of the eight-tailed ox, who was heading their way, his gait wavering as if he were heavily injured.

Horror and shock filled her. What about the civilians? The attack on the village had been swift, and there would have been little time to evacuate everyone. There were definitely casualties, and most likely, large numbers of them. Her vision of the previous day came back to her. Instead of shinobi lying on the ground, it was the villagers of Ame. Men, women and children that she had seen on a near daily basis since the first time she was allowed to leave the base. A pain-filled anger swept over her as her gaze returned to the village. Madara was responsible for this. And he couldn't give a fuck less, as long as he got what he wanted.

Well, she would put a halt to his stupidity right now. Never again would the innocent suffer at his hands. With the others' help, she would succeed.

Her anger froze over as a grim realization hit her. What had once been their training grounds was now eerily quiet. The others...

Sakura's insides twisted as she desperately tried to locate her allies' chakra. Kisame's was gone; she couldn't find Konan's either. Pein's was very faint, but still there. Hidan was nearby, but after the nine-tail's assault, he could barely move, let alone fight. She was alone.

Hidan's voice reached her, cutting into her cold panic. "Sakura, snap the fuck out of it! You have a job to do!"

Taking a deep breath, she reached to where her things had fallen, her fingers closing around Jashin's gift to her. Clutching it tightly, she chided herself. She was wrong to despair. She wasn't completely alone. Jashin had provided her with everything she needed to defeat Madara, she just had to believe it would work. It had to. After all, didn't the entire world run on faith? It was the embodiment of hope, and without it, humanity would be forever lost in the darkness. Breaking the seal, she unrolled the otherworldly document, holding her breath in anticipation as she looked for the set of seals that would bring Makoto to her aid.

The scroll was blank.

Sakura's fingers trembled slightly as she stared down at the pristine parchment. Panic threatened to overwhelm her again. Everything was riding on this moment, and if she failed now, it was over. This had to be the right time. There would never be another opportunity like this. Madara knew she was his enemy now, and he would never let her close enough to attack him a second time. Not to mention the fact that with all of the biju concentrated on her, she didn't stand a chance. If Jashin wanted Madara so badly, why would he abandon her now?

Her eyes automatically sought out Hidan. He just gave her an encouraging nod. She stared back down at the scroll. She was beginning to wonder if her new-found faith was actually a byproduct of insanity. Or maybe Jashin took the 'mysterious ways' concept way too literally. But who was she to complain about his methods? They were immortal and had just defeated the most feared chakra monster in the world. Why wouldn't the scroll that held their trump card be blank?

Pushing her jaded amusement to the back of her mind, Sakura focused on her task. Swiftly, she retrieved her kunai and brought the tip to her palm, cutting a deep gash diagonally across the soft tissue. Fresh, clean blood immediately welled up, and she made a fist to keep it from falling to the ground. Lifting the parchment, she reopened her hand and swept it across the scroll.

"Summon Technique: Jashin's Fury!" she called out, pouring all of her willpower into her voice. She wasn't sure how she knew which name to call it or what to do to activate the scroll, it just came to her.

Sakura watched in amazement as the blood smears left behind were immediately absorbed, leaving no sign that the paper had been touched. A moment later it reappeared, swirling with some unknown force across the parchment. It lifted upward, forming a small blood red tornado just before the whole scroll burst into flames.

A violent wind picked up, catching the ashes in Sakura's hand and sending them dancing into the air. Sakura's hair was whipped into her face and goosebumps broke out on her arms as the already leaden sky darkened to black. Above the rushing wind, she heard a chilling howl, followed by another. The noise intensified as the mass of clouds above began spinning. A funnel was created, spiraling down until it touched the ground in front of her. Sakura could make out two solid shapes hovering within the tornado. She squinted to see what they were, when they suddenly sprang forward, landing between Sakura and Madara. As soon as they were clear of the twisting wind, it retreated back to the heavens, remnants of black clouds spinning off in all directions. She now had a clear view of the pair of wolves standing before her, ears laid back as they growled at Madara, who had stopped several feet away to assess this new threat.

Sakura instantly recognized Makoto. She couldn't see his blood red eyes, but his massive size and midnight fur looked exactly as they did when she encountered him in Jashin's garden. Standing beside him was a slightly smaller female, her white coat pristine against the darkened surroundings. It could only be Yume. She caught a glimpse of one ice blue eye before both wolves charged forward in unison.

Madara stood his ground, a confident smirk plastered on his face. Even after the defeat of the nine-tails, he had no fear. The wolves lunged, jumping off the ground, their mouths opened wide as they aimed for the Uchiha's arms. Just before they reached him, Madara's body grew transparent. Both wolves seemed to fade as they continued forward, undaunted by the jutsu. Teeth clamped down, and Sakura could hear the crunch of bones as Makoto and Yume successfully found their target. Madara grunted in pain as panic fleeted across his face. He shook his arms hard, trying to dislodge the beasts as all three went crashing to the ground. It was no good. The wolves weren't letting go, their jaws clamped like vises, bodies too heavy for Madara to dislodge.

"What is the meaning of this?" Madara asked angrily, still trying to phase his body away from the wolves, but was unable to do so.

Sakura smirked, and when she spoke, all traces of her uncertainty fled. "Makoto and Yume are servants of Jashin. Like Hidan and myself, they are not bound to the laws of the natural world. Wherever you send your body, they can follow."

From his position on the ground, Hidan watched Sakura stalk forward, kunai gripped firmly in her fist, palm still dripping with blood. Her lithe gait closed the distance between her and Madara quickly, and as she stood over him, Hidan could feel the murderous intent pouring off of her. Kneeling down, she grabbed Madara by the throat, and pulled his face close to hers as she lay the tip of the kunai against his heart.

"You've lived a long time," she hissed at him, her voice holding a sweet note that mingled with the venom "but death comes to everyone, and today it finds you. But first you'll pay for every sin you've committed in this world. I'm going to fucking make sure of it."

Hidan watched on, eyes wide in amazement. He had never heard Sakura talk this way, not even when she was mad enough to tear a building down. Her look was as deadly as the wolves on either side of her, holding their mistress' prey, and he was spellbound by how utterly beautiful she was in this moment. Bloodlust was filling her until it overflowed, sweeping away all vestiges of her previous morality. She was purified, and he felt desire well up in him, overshadowing the pain that kept trying to assault him. He wanted to touch her, hold her, join her in her ritual until they were both reeling from the pleasure of it.

Remembering the bond he had broken, Hidan forced one of his arms to move in spite of his injuries, and using two fingers coated in his own blood, recreated Jashin's symbol on his chest. As soon as it was completed, her emotions filled him, a combination of hatred and glee. Mixing with his contribution of physical pain, it created a heady concoction that made him want to moan from the sheer force of the feeling. Instead, he worked to control himself. Now was not the time to wallow. Sakura needed him, and the faster that asshole on the ground was dead, the better. Pushing his arm for more movement, he began to draw on the ground, his eyes never leaving the pink haired goddess in front of him.

She created a long gash in Madara's chest, moving slowly until he gave up his bravado and winced. The wound wasn't very deep, the only evidence of bleeding was the slight darkening of the material of his shirt and the thick liquid coating the tip of her weapon as she pulled away. Finally releasing his neck, she stood and backed up several steps. The wolves released Madara's arms, Makoto giving a forceful shake before he let go.

Sakura met Madara's eyes as she brought the weapon up to her lips. His gaze only held anger as he met her hard eyes and he laughed at her. "Are you trying to scare me, kunoichi? I know you can't do anything to me without creating Jashin's symbol first."

"What makes you think she doesn't have one, asshole?" yelled Hidan from where he lay.

Glancing over to him, Madara was shocked to see that Hidan had shifted his position, and was now sitting up, surrounded by his own blood. He had used it to draw the outer circle of the circumscribed triangle around him, and was now finishing the last leg of the inside. Not bothering to ask for an explanation, Madara jumped to his feet and tried to phase to Hidan to pull him out of the circle. When he materialized, he was met by the white wolf, who immediately jumped on him, knocking him back to the ground.

Not wasting any more time, Sakura brought the kunai to her lips and licked the blood from the tip. It was immediately absorbed, and she nearly cried out as a rush of adrenaline poured through her. It filled her until she felt heady and light. She glanced down at herself to see if, like Hidan, her skin had changed to resemble a skeleton. The flesh had indeed darkened to black, but instead of stripes of white bone, an elaborate network of tiny white lines appeared, resembling a pathway of blood vessels.

Turning to face Madara fully, Sakura brought the tip of the kunai to her shoulder. Striking deep, she let the blade go all the way to the bone. Madara clenched his teeth against the pain as the curse took effect, and glared at Hidan, who was smirking gleefully at him, one hand pressed to a matching wound on his shoulder, fingers dug deep to make it more painful. He too, was affected by the curse, his skeleton markings standing out sharply against his black skin. Noticing the hatred directed toward her earthly counterpart, Yume growled low in her throat until the Uchiha averted his eyes.

"A brave fucker, huh? You'll be begging me to end it soon enough." Hidan taunted him.

"Not likely." Madara snorted as he tried to jump to his feet and away from the wolf standing over him. He wasn't quite fast enough, and quickly found out that wolves are deceptively heavy when standing on a human chest.

Hidan's smirk never wavered as the next wound was made, this one on the left arm. He felt it a fraction of a second before Madara did, and laughed as the Uchiha squirmed while blood poured down his arm. Wanting to help a little more, Hidan took over embracing the pain for Sakura, so she could concentrate on her ritual. She must have been using her full knowledge of anatomy, because each slice she made was designed with the most pain and least bleeding possible. Waves of it coursed over him, and soon he could barely recognize his former leader writhing under the coating of blood.

Since Hidan was maintaining the circle of Jashin for her, Sakura was also free to move around. With blood dripping off her like water, she slowly made her way to where her victim was lying on the ground in front of Hidan. Yume moved back so she could get to him, and Makoto followed along behind. Finding his shirt beneath the blood, Sakura dragged him up until he was forced to look at her. Pulling back with her free hand, she punched him in the face. His head snapped back and she could feel herself grow lightheaded as the pain echoed back to her. Dropping him back to the ground, she stared down at him, eyes blazing. "That was for the Akatsuki and the village, you sadistic fuck!"

Shifting all her weight to one foot, she kicked him hard in the ribs, effectively breaking at least four in the process. "...and that was for Konoha!"

Sakura backed up until she was standing in the circle. Kneeling down in front of Hidan, she raised the kunai to her heart. She hesitated for the first time, as apprehension washed over her. This was it. She was about to plunge a kunai straight into her chest and share Madara's death. She tried again, and her hand seemed to resist, trembling with effort. Suddenly, she felt Hidan behind her, wrapping one arm around her and gripping her hand. On his knees behind her, he pressed against her back and leaned down to kiss her neck. Before she could react, he sent the kunai into her chest up to the hilt.

"...and this is for Jashin." Hidan growled into her skin, hard violet eyes boring into the Uchiha's now fearful ones.

A scream was ripped from Madara's throat as they both started to convulse. Sakura's heart fought against the invading object, each heartbeat causing more damage and widening the wound. She grew lightheaded again, and it seemed like a fog had settled on the world around her. Then she was engulfed in a wave of pain so intense it blocked everything out. Her whole body seized up as she toppled over backwards, taking Hidan to the ground with her. At last she screamed herself, as an equally intense wave of pleasure relaxed every muscle in her body and her heart stopped beating. Before the sound had died in her throat, the world flashed white and she was gone.

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A/N: This was the most difficult fight sequence I've written so far, and I beg your forgiveness for the delay in posting. .


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Now, wasn't that fun?" a dark voice taunted as Sakura was suddenly pulled from unconsciousness.

"Fuck you." came the groggy reply as the kunoichi's eyes fluttered open and awareness of her surroundings slowly returned to her. She felt as if she had just slept for an eternity, and she didn't want to be bothered by anyone at the moment. Warm liquid flowed around her and she couldn't feel even a hint of her chakra. She stared up at the red paper lantern coming into focus above her. The small black chain it was hanging from was frosted over, no doubt a result of the ice that had once again encased the cherry tree she was lying under, its pale pink blossoms beginning to droop. She was back in Jashin's garden.

"'Fuck you'? Come now, you're starting to sound like Hidan." Jashin lightly chided.

An amused huff from her left caught Sakura's attention, and she tilted her head that way to find Hidan, already awake, and kneeling in the stream before his god underneath the frozen silver maple next to her. His scythe was lying horizontally on the ground in front of him, as if it were an offering to the dark god. The corners of Sakura's mouth tugged upwards on their own. To see him in such a state of submission when he was normally so defiant was almost funny.

Sakura's eyes drifted from the penitent form of her lover to Jashin, who was standing barefoot on the volcanic stone pathway, one elbow leaning casually on the rim of a three-tiered black marble fountain she had never seen before. More black liquid flowed from the open mouth of a wolf carved on the top, and Sakura could only assume that was where Madara's blood was. Jashin was staring at her with a bemused smirk, the dark aura receding from around him, but never leaving his eyes. She sat up slowly, unsure of whether she should be bowing or not. She settled for lowering her eyes to the ground as she rose to her feet slowly, blood sloshing around her and streaming in rivulets from her hair. His chuckle reached her ears as she felt him shift in front of her.

Hidan rose and came to stand at her side as Jashin approached her. The weight of his presence pressed down on her, making her want to step back, but she held her ground. Then Jashin's warm fingers were under her chin as he lifted her head, and she found herself staring into his hard, violet eyes.

"Now you know what it is like. To embrace the animal that lives inside every one of you. To take a life and enjoy every second of it. To belong to me." he said to her.

Releasing her, he turned to Hidan, who had watched the exchange with a guarded look. "Once again, you have proven your faithfulness beyond question, Hidan. At this rate, you will surpass even Makoto."

Hidan bowed, a smug look that would outdo a cat on his face. "Thank you, Jashin-sama."

"Speaking of, where are Makoto and Yume? Didn't they come back with us?" Sakura asked as she peered into the darkness beyond the trees, expecting them to emerge at any second.

"Do you recall when I said the scroll could only be used once? That rule applies for both of us, I'm afraid. Makoto and Yume are now part of the mortal plane. They cannot return here until their immortality wears off and they suffer death again."

"How can immortality wear off? Isn't it supposed to be permanent?" Sakura asked, her medic side brimming with sudden curiosity.

"It's simple. I can maintain a creature's life forever, as long as they remain here. Hidan is an exception because his life is tied to Yume's, and yours is tied to his. Once they left my garden, my blessings were withdrawn. Without it, their bodies will slowly begin to age again. In a century or two, they will be completely mortal, and will either die of old age, accident, or disease. Just like any other living thing."

"And our own immortality?"

"Will slowly degenerate the same way it will for Makoto and Yume. But since a human lifespan is much longer than a wolf's, it will take considerably longer for you."

"Can Yume become a human again?" Hidan asked.

"No. She chose to stay as a wolf with Makoto. He has been in that form too long to revert back and she refused to leave him alone." Jashin answered.

A heavy silence followed. Sakura watched as a pained look came into Hidan's eyes. He had spent so much time burying his past, and now that it was resurfacing, he was forced to deal with it. She wanted to comfort him, to tell him everything would be fine, but what could she say? His best friend was gone for good, taking away the resolve that helped him survive all this time. Turning to Jashin, Sakura spoke first, albeit uncertainly. "So, if Yume is no longer being blessed by you, and she's in the mortal world instead of here, what does that mean for Hidan?"

"It means exactly what you are thinking. He is no longer forced to serve me to sustain her life. He is free to choose what he wants, as are you. Once I return you, you may do as you wish."

"But why would you give up so much just to have one person killed?" Sakura asked.

"Because it was necessary." he replied in a tone that said the subject was closed to further discussion.

Sakura looked over at Hidan, who remained quiet. He was just standing there, his face a wall of stone. She had no idea what he was thinking. Was it shock at his sudden freedom? Was he upset that he had lost Yume for good? What if he would rather have had her instead? Doubt started eating at Sakura until he looked at her and smirked.

"Well, fuck. This is going to put a hell of a cramp on our sex life. I was hoping for a good five hundred years at least."

Jashin's dark laugh echoed through the trees. "Priests. They're worse than little kids. You give them virtual immortality, heal them, hook them up with a mate, and what do they do? Complain about not getting laid enough. You're hopeless, Hidan. Now, both of you get the hell out of here. I have other things to attend to now."

"Wait! What about the others? Can't you send them back too?" Sakura asked.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to. Besides, they are of no benefit to me."

Behind her, the two ice covered trees began to melt, more rapidly this time. Drops of water fell from the leaves, creating a false rain that sang softly as it fell to the stream below. With each plop, Sakura felt herself grow heavier and heavier, as if she were slowly being pulled into the ground. She tried to fight against the sinking feeling, to stay until she had convinced Jashin to help her. But her body wouldn't move and her head was getting dizzy.

"Please! They helped us so much. It's not fair that they get nothing." she pleaded as the garden seemed to blur and run together.

Jashin just smiled. "I wouldn't say they're getting nothing." Then he waved her off just before everything went black.

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Sakura opened her eyes to find herself where she had fallen, wrapped in Hidan's arms. His awareness returned at the same time, and as she started stirring, he pulled her closer to him. A pain ripped through her chest with the movement, and she glanced down to find the diamond kunai still lodged in her heart. Reaching up, she gripped it firmly with one hand and held her breath as she pulled it out. It clattered to the ground as blood gushed from the wound and fresh pain swept over her. It quickly morphed to pleasure as she put a hand to the wound to staunch the bleeding while it healed. So, their bond was still intact. She could only assume it would wear off when they started aging.

Turning her head, she met Hidan's gaze. "Are we done?" she nearly whispered.

"We're done." Hidan replied as he sat up, bringing her with him. "For good it seems."

They stared in mutual silence at the lifeless lump of flesh that used to be Uchiha Madara. Sakura could barely believe that she was the one who had wrought so much damage on one person. Anyone from Leaf who might see it would surely think she had gone insane. Ino would be horrified. Unable to look at what she had done any longer, Sakura slid out of Hidan's arms and got to her feet. "Let's check on the others."

Hidan rose without a word and followed her across the destroyed clearing. He had seen the look on Sakura's face in the garden when he mentioned Yume to Jashin. She was afraid he would want her instead. But that part of his life had been over for a long time now. Both he and Yume had moved on to other things. She had Makoto, and he had Sakura. And he was perfectly content with that. And as soon as he had the chance, he was going to tell her exactly that. But first, they had one hell of a mess to clean up.

The first person they saw as they made their way back was Kisame. He was sitting on a stump, next to a long track of torn up dirt. He had Samehada laid out across his lap, and was using the corner of his tattered cloak to methodically wipe the blades down, one row at a time. The blades wiggled and stretched to accommodate his efforts, and Sakura could have sworn the thing was enjoying it. Kisame looked up as they approached, and gave them a nod.

Sakura gave him a relieved smile as she came to a halt. "Kisame, I thought you were dead."

Kisame shook his head. "I guess we're all fucking zombies now. One second I was headed toward the bright white light, and the next I was being drowned in chakra before I woke up here. I must say though, dirt naps are overrated. I had a hell of a time getting all the grit out of my eyes."

Hidan laughed. "You should try drowning sometime. If it weren't impossible for you, you fucking fish."

"But I don't understand." Sakura interrupted them before they could start arguing again. "Your chakra was gone. Completely. And it wasn't just for a second or two. I know it had to be several minutes."

Kisame started to answer her, but suddenly tilted his head, as if he just had a great idea or was listening to a distant sound. Then his face broke out in a grin. "If you think that's amazing, get a load of this." he said, pointing to a section of earth a few feet away.

Sakura stared at the bare spot, confused. Nothing happened for several seconds. Then a small crack appeared, grew larger, and caved in until there was a gaping hole. Peering down inside, Sakura could see part of the path they had used to reach the main room in the cave. A shocked gasp escaped her lips. As the light filtered through, she could make out a silhouette, then a flash of dusty red hair.

"Kisho?"

At the sound of his name, the Stone ninja looked up. "Sakura-san?" Then a look of confusion came over his face. "I thought you couldn't be killed?"

Sakura laughed in relief. "I'm not dead. And neither are you. At least not anymore. Now get up here so I can make sure you're okay!"

"That's good, because being buried alive isn't my idea of heaven." he replied.

A few moments later Kisho had climbed out of the gaping earth, and was sitting on the ground beside Kisame, picking bits of rock and debris from his torn clothing. Sakura couldn't help but stare at him. He looked completely unharmed. There wasn't a scratch on him anywhere. And she was sure that he had been dead. The only explanation she could think of was that Jashin had brought them both back, but why would he bother after telling her he couldn't? He said himself that he only helped someone when it was for his own benefit.

Sakura turned to Hidan. "Did Jashin do this?"

"It wasn't Jashin." he replied. "Someone else did this for them."

Once Kisho deemed himself presentable again, he and Kisame stood. "Let's find the others. I saw some smoke coming from the village." Kisame said.

The group found Konan a few minutes later, sitting on the ground close to the collapsed cave ceiling. Beside her was the machine that Sakura had seen in the room behind Pein's office. It was empty. Where was the man with the red hair?

Konan didn't look up when they approached. Her back was to them and her shoulders were shaking as if she were cold or crying. But when her face came into view, no tears ran from her eyes. Instead, a distant, dead look replaced the somber one she usually had. Beside her on the ground, Pein started to stir. He was barely moving, as if he was having difficulty controlling his own body.

Concerned for both of them, Sakura knelt down and laid a hand on the kunoichi's shoulders. "Konan-san, are you all right?"

She still didn't look at Sakura, instead she stared at the pitted surface of the machine beside her. "He's gone." she whispered.

"Who was he?" Sakura asked, dropping her voice just as low. Whoever he had been, Konan had evidently known him as well as Pein did.

Konan turned her head and glanced down at Pein's body before finally looking at her. "His name was Nagato. He was..." she trailed off and closed her eyes "everything."

Sakura gave the damaged machine a confused look. She had been fairly certain that Pein and Konan were together, and more than just partners. In fact, Konan had basically said so herself not an hour ago. So how did the mysterious man that had now mysteriously disappeared fit into all of this? Sakura opened her mouth to ask just that when a groan on the ground caught both girls' attention. Konan's eyes widened in shock as they flew back and forth from the empty machine to the body on the ground.

"P-pein-sama?" she asked, her voice almost timid.

The sound of her voice drew Pein's attention and he opened his eyes and looked at her. For the first time since Sakura had known him, there was blatant emotion on the orange-haired shinobi's face.

"Konan-chan! Why are you here? Did you get away from Danzou?" he asked, his voice almost frantic as he took in his surroundings like he expected an enemy to jump on them at any second.

Sakura stared at the man that for the last couple of months had been her unofficial leader. She had no clue what had transpired over the time she and Hidan were with Jashin, but he had changed considerably. All of his piercings were gone, strewn on the ground around him, along with a dozen large black rods. His eyes were no longer the swirling silver of the Rinnegan, but were a shade of blue even lighter than Naruto's. And the way he was looking at her, like she was a total stranger, made her think that he was a completely different person.

"Danzou? Pein-sama, what are you talking about? Danzou's dead. You killed him last week..." Konan paused and her eyes widened as she realized what he was talking about. "Yahiko-kun?"

"Of course it's me." he replied with an exasperated look. "But what happened? Where is Nagato-kun? Did he get away with you?"

Konan didn't reply, but her eyes stayed locked on his face as her lower lip began to tremble. Then he was cupping her cheek, his thumb running over her skin. "What did they do to you?" he whispered. "You look so much older. And why were you calling me Pain-sama?"

Her shock seemed to wear off at the mention of the name and Konan seemed to choke before tears began streaming down her face. She hadn't cried much since the day Yahiko confronted Jiraya on the streets of Amegakure; her life had demanded a strength beyond tears. But now she couldn't help it. She had always wondered why Nagato had kept Yahiko's body this entire time. At first she thought it was just for nostalgia's sake. Now she knew differently. He had been planning to bring him back this entire time. But since the jutsu necessary for it would cost him his life, he had to wait until there was no other choice but to use it.

He had saved both their lives, repaying the sacrifice Yahiko made so many years ago. Reaching over, she gripped his hand, and they climbed to their feet as Sakura backed away to give them room. Pulling him into a hug, she whispered in his ear. "He's gone."

"Gone? What happened?"

"Come on, I'll tell you. But not here." Then she turned to Sakura and Hidan, who were still looking confused, and more than a little out of the loop. "I owe you an explanation as well. But it will have to come later."

While they were walking off, Sakura looked up at the sky. It was then that she noticed it was no longer raining. In fact, the clouds were slowly starting to break apart, letting shafts of sunlight fall to the soaked earth. The warmth hit her face, and she couldn't help but smile. She didn't realize how much she missed a nice, sunny day. She also hadn't realized how utterly tired she was. She closed her eyes and leaned against Hidan, who now stood just behind her. She heard Konan and Yahiko talking some distance away, and as soon as their voices faded, Hidan wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, just tired." she said, sinking further into him.

The arrival of the few remaining Rain ninja broke Sakura's momentary peace, and together, she and Hidan headed back to the group that had re-formed several yard away. They were standing in a circle, taking stock of what they still had as far as weapons and shinobi. The makeshift leader of the Rain nins was giving Konan a report on the damage to the village. Listening to him talking made Sakura realize that, in the chaos of the moment, she hadn't performed her own duties as their medic nin. As soon as he was finished, she walked up to Konan.

"I need to check everyone for injuries."

"I feel fine. There's no need to waste your energy." Kisame said from across the group, looking at her warily. Sakura resisted the urge to smirk. It was always the tough guys that were such babies when it came to doctors and medics.

"Do you mind if I check you anyway?" she asked, glancing at Konan. "Just to make sure everything healed okay?"

Konan gave her the go ahead, much to Kisame's dismay. She started with Kisho first, since technically, his body had been dead the longest. He was perfectly fine, she could find not a scratch on him, inside or out. His organs were functioning normally, and if she didn't know any better, she would say he was in better health than he was before the battle. It was the same with Kisame and Yahiko. But while she was examining her fellow kunoichi, she stumbled on something she didn't expect. At first she nearly dismissed it as her imagination, but as she looked closer, there was no doubt about it. There, cocooned in Konan's womb, was a second chakra signature. It was too small yet to have a heartbeat, but there was definitely new life there. A frown came over her face. If Pein and Konan knew about this, why would Konan continue to fight? Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. Unless...

"Konan, did you know you were pregnant?"

"What? ...But that's impossible." Konan replied, staring up at her in disbelief from where she had sat on a rock for her examination. "Pein was the only one...and he couldn't..." she trailed off, looking away in embarrassment as Yahiko joined them.

A realization came to Sakura and she pulled the small wooden box from her weapons' pouch. Opening it, she pulled the vial out, examining the contents within. Nagato's chakra swirled around the blood, constantly in motion without a body to circulate through. Could he possibly have...? It would be something only a kage-level shinobi could do, and Pein and Madara were the only two ninja around with that kind of ability. A quick search of the area around the machine produced the matching vial, it's contents gone. A smile found it's way to Sakura's lips. She looked at Konan, lifting both vials up to show her. "Not impossible."

Konan watched the chakra dance in its glass home as her eyebrows furrowed. "So, that's what he meant." she whispered.

"What did who mean?" Yahiko asked, completely confused.

"Before we left the base, I went to see Nagato. He asked me if I wanted a child someday. I thought it was an odd question, since he knew it wouldn't be possible. I told him it would be nice, then he started talking about a new way to find peace. When I asked him how, all he said was 'Life'. This must have been what he meant."

"Rebirth." Sakura stated softly. "He found a way to transfer his essence to you and create a new life for himself. And he was the one who brought Kisho and Kisame back too, wasn't he?"

"Not just them, but Yahiko and myself as well. I know I was dying, bleeding internally, but I felt him there with me. He pulled me back and healed me. When I opened my eyes, he was gone. He had always promised he would never leave me alone. Now I know he really meant it."

"So, what do we do now?" Kisame asked as he walked up to them with Kisho and Hidan in tow. "Without Pein and Madara, that makes you our leader, Konan-sama."

Indecision crossed the kunoichi's face for a moment. She turned to the Rain shinobi standing nearby. "We need to start rebuilding the village as soon as possible. Gather the survivors and meet me at the gates in a few minutes."

"Yes, ma'am." their leader replied before they set off to do her bidding.

Then she turned back to Kisame. "I suppose the Akatsuki is finished for now. We started out looking for peace, but now that Madara's gone, we are as close to it as we can get. You are free to stay or go as you please. I will leave the base open for our use, and whatever is left of our assets I'll divide before any of you go. And if Zetsu should return, I will inform him of our decision as well."

"I'm going back to Hidden Stone. They might execute me as soon as I get there, but at least it will be an honorable death." Kisho told her.

"You mean you are going to waste your second chance by going home and dying? I knew you were fucking stupid, but damn." Hidan said, shaking his head.

Kisho just shrugged. "It's what I have to do."

Sakura's thoughts turned towards Naruto, Sasuke, and the blue ribbon she still had stashed in her weapon's pouch. Kisho might be able to return to his village, but Konoha was lost to her. She had made her decision long ago. Hidan was bound to her the same way she was to him. For better or worse, they would be together until the end. And even if the rest of the world disagreed with it, she found she was perfectly content with that.

"I still have several things to do as well," she said slowly. "but I also think that the village could use a good medic to help out around here... I do come highly recommended." she added with a hint of amusement.

Hidan rolled his eyes. "You mean we're staying here with this bunch of losers? And just when I thought I'd be rid of you heathen morons..."

Sakura turned on him, hands on her hips. "We could go to Konoha. That _is _where I'm supposed to be, you know."

Hidan took a step back as an indignant look crossed his face. "No fucking way! I am _not_ spending all my time getting rid of a bunch of damn pansies trying to kill me. Fuck that."

"Then shut up and stop your damn whining."

Kisame, who was trying his best not to laugh, ended up snorting loudly at the pained face Hidan was making. "I love a girl with brass." he said.

"You'd think they'd have had enough fighting for one day." Kisho said, shaking his hair out of his eyes.

"Well, I have. I'm taking a vacation." Kisame said. "I hear the hot springs in Wave Country are really nice. After that, who knows what I'll be doing."

"Alright. Keep your ring and cloak then." Konan said, laying a hand across her stomach. "Just in case we need you again some day."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Tsunade stared at the destruction surrounding her in disbelief. One minute she had been sitting in relative quiet, discussing the options concerning the captured biju with the other kage, the next the room was thrown into chaos as the door to the meeting room was kicked in. As one, the leaders of the five ninja countries looked up to find none other than Uchiha Sasuke standing there, three other shinobi at his back. The ANBU in the room immediately jumped into action, intent on apprehending the well-known missing ninja.

The other kage looked on as the fight commenced, some in indignant anger at being interrupted, some in excitement. Tsunade frowned at the greedy faces of the Tsuchikage and his subordinates as they ordered their ANBU to concentrate on the Uchiha. Whoever took down Sasuke would have a claim on his body, and access to the coveted Sharingan. And until they decided to return it, they would be free to poke and prod him for potential secrets. She had to prevent that from happening at all costs. The villages may be at peace for the moment, but only a fool would trust those whose world was built on deception.

She had risen with the other shadows and was ready to intervene when a second interruption made her release a relieved sigh. It was Naruto, charging into the room in a blaze of orange and black and yelling at the top of his lungs. He didn't even slow up as he barreled into Sasuke, who had been kept busy by two Cloud ANBU, his Sharingan pulling both shinobi deep into a genjutsu. By the time he hit the ground, the last of the ANBU were down, leaving only the intruders and the kage, with their personal escorts, in the room.

The fall only momentarily stunned the Uchiha, and when he lifted his head and rolled to dislodge his former friend, he growled to his teammates. "Kill them, now."

Naruto and Sasuke were then lost in a flurry of punches as they grappled on the floor. Meanwhile, the largest of the rogues, a brown-haired young man with a boyish face, charged the Raikage. A rumble was all Tsunade heard of their battle as a wall of molten lava rose in front of her. The Mizukage, Terumi Mei, was facing off against a white-haired shinobi with a large sword. From the way they were looking at each other, they were far from strangers. She didn't have time to see more as a red-headed girl with glasses started her way, drawing her attention.

Gathering chakra to her fist, Tsunade prepared to punch the kunoichi to oblivion. But the redhead evidently knew what she was planning, and swerved at the last minute, throwing a handful of shuriken as she dove behind a stray chair. There wasn't much room to dodge, so Tsunade blocked it with her arm, grimacing as the blades dug into her skin. Pulling them out, she returned the attack, aiming for the space between the back and seat of the chair. Karin jumped out of the way, and right into a cloud of sand.

Aware of this new threat, Karin backed up, eyes wide as she watched it solidify into a barrier. She couldn't go far, however, because the close quarters put her right in striking range of the Mizukage's lava. With intense heat on one side, and a wall of sand on the other, Karin had nowhere to go. Tsunade used her advantage and advanced on her before she could react, chakra glowing from her hand. Not wanting to outright kill the girl, she backhanded her, the chakra-enhanced blow knocking her out cold. Karin slumped to the floor, her glasses falling to the ground, breaking one of the lenses.

Tsunade dusted her hands off. "Thank you, Kazekage-san." she said as she looked over to Gaara, who stood a few feet away, replacing the cork on his gourd.

"My pleasure." he returned with a nod.

The sound of shouting made Tsunade turn around, and she was surprised to see the room suddenly flooding with ANBU, several units from every country. Leaf's own came to her side immediately, to see if she needed any help. They had been posted outside the town, just in case something had happened during the meeting. Evidently the rest of the kage had had the same idea. Leaving one to cover Karin, she sent the rest to surround Naruto and Sasuke until they were finished with their fight.

Now here she was, fifteen minutes later, standing in the rubble and glaring at the causes of the disturbance. Once the pandemonium had died away, she found that all of the kage were victorious, and Sasuke's team had been forced to surrender. He and Naruto were sporting matching bruises on their faces, and were sitting side by side, not speaking, but not hostile either. The one she heard called Juugo was subdued in a chakra prison constructed of quicksand. His great strength was a disadvantage as he was pulled deeper in the more he struggled. The most surprising sight, however, was that of Terumi Mei,who had the other water shinobi pinned to a standing section of wall, his own sword pressed to his neck.

"What the hell did you think you were trying to do, Suigetsu?" Mei demanded as she suddenly dropped the weapon and grabbed him by the ear, her face a mask of righteous fury.

Suigetsu struggled to free himself. "Fighting, what else do you think I do with a sword?" he replied angrily, still trying to pull away from her.

"You call that fighting? I call it pathetic. And I suppose that since you managed to get your hands on Momochi Zabuza's sword, you want to join the Seven Swordsmen?"

Suigetsu's eyes brightened at her words and he stopped fighting her hold. "Yes."

"Well, you can forget it. You wouldn't live through one training session with them."

"Please, Mizukage-sama?" he pleaded, his face grimacing when she tugged harder on his ear.

"No."

"But Kisame said I was more that qualified."

"You were with Hosghigaki?" Mei asked, her voice going from angry to surprised, despite the fact that her grip never wavered.

"Yeah. We sparred all the time." he bragged, his mouth twisting into a smug grin.

From across the room, Sasuke snorted.

Mei ignored him, indecision fleeting across her face. Then her steely resolve was back and she angled Suigetsu towards what used to be the door. "Then you have some information the hunter-nin will need. Come with me." Turning to the other shadows, she smiled. "Forgive me, but I'm going to have to leave early. It seems I have some laundry to do. I'll be in touch."

Then the Mizukage literally dragged Suigetsu from the room by the ear, lecturing him the whole way on how sloppy his swordsmanship was, and how he was a disgrace to Hidden Mist, whether he was a missing nin or not, and how did Kisame ever put up with his annoying ass without killing him. Her subordinate, Ao, just shrugged his shoulders and followed her out, muttering that he was glad it wasn't him, and the poor boy was really in for it when they got back to the village.

Reminded that she had her own delinquent shinobi to deal with, Tsunade turned to where Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on the floor. The Uchiha was staring at the ground, shoulders slumped. Naruto had one arm slung across said shoulders, a huge grin on his face. The redheaded girl, Karin, had regained consciousness and was staring at the two from where she was sitting across the room, a look of utter disbelief on her face. She evidently couldn't believe that the untouchable Uchiha would tolerate such treatment. Her teammate, Juugo, was released from the quicksand and was sitting a few feet away, regarding the floor in a manner similar to Sasuke.

Signaling to her ANBU, Tsunade folded her arms across her chest. They lifted the would-be brothers to their feet. "I don't know how you managed to escape the Akatsuki, Naruto, but I'm glad you're back."

"What about the nine-tails?" the Raikage interrupted. "Is it safe?"

Naruto frowned and lifted his shirt, revealing his unmarked skin. "The Akatsuki extracted it. I don't know where it is now."

"How is it that you are still alive? No jinchuriki has ever survived their extraction process."

Not wanting to call any attention to Sakura and her new affiliation, Naruto shook his head and spoke quietly. "I don't know. I was knocked out the whole time."

Tsunade, recognizing his reticent tone, raised her hand for silence. "That is enough for now, Naruto. You can brief me on the way to Konoha."

Next she walked over to Sasuke. He refused to look at her, and kept his eyes trained on the floor. "You have much to answer for, Uchiha Sasuke. I do not look forward to finding a punishment suitable for the pain you have caused us. You're damn lucky your Uchiha blood is saving you from death."

"Indeed." the Raikage chimed back in. "I also have a grievance against him and his subordinates concerning the attack on Killer Bee."

"Perhaps it would be better to discuss that matter in private." Tsunade said. The Raikage agreed with a nod.

Finally, she turned and looked at Karin and Jugo. "As subordinates of a missing nin from Konoha, you'll be in my custody until another village has a greater claim on you or we get everything sorted out and I decide what to do with you."

Without waiting for a response, she addressed the remaining three kage. "It looks like the meeting is over for now. I'll contact each of you as soon as I return to Konoha to set up further meetings. Forgive me, but this is something I need to deal with immediately."

"Until then, Hokage-san." Gaara replied formally with a small bow as the Raikage and Tsuchikage nodded.

Then Tsunade headed out the doorway, stepping over the ruined remains of the door, ANBU and captives in tow. Naruto rushed up to walk next to her. "Wait, Baa-chan! I need to tell you about Sakura-chan! She and the other Akatsuki fought all of the biju at once! Can you believe it?"

Rounding on him faster than he could blink, Tsunade had him by the front of his shirt. Making sure they were now out of earshot of the other kage, she growled at him. "You saw her, and you didn't bring her back with you? What were you thinking, Uzumaki?"

Naruto blinked up at her. "She...she wouldn't come with me. She said Uchiha Madara was after Konoha, and if she didn't stop him right there, he would destroy the village."

"What happened with Madara?" Tsunade asked, her voice suddenly tight.

Naruto's eyes dropped to the ground as a frown formed on his face. "I don't know. I was already on my way here when the battle started. I left a clone with her, but it was destroyed by the nine-tails."

Releasing his shirt, Tsunade laid a hand on his shoulder. "We'll look for her. It's on the way, after all."

"But Baa-chan, Konoha is south and Amegakure is..."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she interrupted him with a growl. "I said it's on the way!"

Holding his hands up in a placating gesture, Naruto grinned and took a step back. "It's on the way." he repeated.

Dropping back to walk next to Sasuke, Naruto leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Some things never change. She's still scary."

Sasuke shook his head. He could barely believe that despite having been enemies for so long, Naruto was still treating him as if they were still children in Konoha, and all the difficult things that had plagued his adult life had never come to pass. For once he envied his lost friend. If only he could share in that optimism. But he was far too damaged, too jaded.

"But some things do." he said flatly as he stepped away from him to move closer to the ANBU.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Two days later...

Tsunade's party slowed as the village of Amegakure appeared on the horizon. Two squads of ANBU slunk into the surrounding terrain, disappearing from sight as the main party continued along the road. When they reached a sheltered stand of trees, two more teams settled inside with Sasuke and the rest of their captives to wait for the Hokage's return.

As they started their descent into the valley that housed the village, Tsunade was pulled to a stop by Naruto, who pointed to what looked like it used to be a section of woodlands. Now however, it was a tangled mess of broken trunks and stumps, scattered over barren ground. In the middle was a large hole. "That's where I saw Sakura last."

Two ANBU immediately began a search of the area. Several minutes later they returned with their report. The place looked like a war zone. The vegetation had been destroyed for three-quarters of a mile. There had definitely been a battle there, but no signs of any bodies.

As she stood digesting this information, a small white butterfly flew past her face, circled once, then hovered a few yards away. She didn't pay any attention to it, until two more came along, followed the same path until it reached the first. Several more followed, and it was then that Tsunade realized that they weren't even real butterflies, but ones made out of paper. More flooded the area, and she crouched in a defensive position as a team of ANBU surrounded her.

The mass of origami bunched together, mingling until a paper clone began to emerge. Halfway through the process, Tsunade recognized it as belonging to the blue-haired kunoichi that had attacked Konoha. When it was fully formed, the clone spoke.

"Hokage-san. Why are you here?"

"You should know the answer to that. Release Haruno Sakura to me now." Tsunade demanded.

"I'm afraid that is not possible. Sakura is not here."

"You're lying. Naruto saw her here."

"She left yesterday on personal business. I do not know when she will return."

"I don't believe you. I know for a fact she was abducted by Akatsuki. Why would she turn against Konoha unless she was forced to? You're holding her somewhere."

"The Akatsuki has been dissolved and the biju are gone. We would have no other reason to keep her. And if you still refuse to believe that she left on her own, you may come to the village and look for yourself." Tsunade gave her a doubtful look and Konan shook her head. "Don't worry, it's not a trap. We do not have enough shinobi to attack your group, but we will not hesitate to defend ourselves if need be. You are welcome to stay as long as you like, if no hostility is exhibited by your shinobi."

"Alright, I will. But I warn you, if you are lying, the consequences will be severe."

With a nod, the clone moved towards the road, leading them closer to the village. Tsunade followed, her ANBU close to her side, alert to the smallest of threats. But as the individual buildings of Amegakure became distinct, the whole group paused to stare. For every building that looked intact, there were three more that were reduced to rubble. The front gate was destroyed, and there were no shinobi on guard to deter intruders. Unable to tear her eyes from the sight, she spoke.

"Madara did this?"

"Yes. While the Akatsuki were busy dealing with him, the eight-tailed ox and four-tailed monkey were sent to destroy the village. Pein-sama managed to preserve this much, but our losses in both shinobi and civilians were great."

Konan moved on, and Tsunade followed her down to the remains of the gate. At this point, they had to slow down to make their way around chunks of building and abandoned furniture. A small orange kitten with bright green eyes lay on a chunk of stone close to the gates, staring at the road as if it were waiting on someone. When they passed close to it's spot, it glared at them and released a venomous hiss. Konan returned the cat's glare before silently continuing around another chunk of building.

Tsunade shook her head sadly as she followed. Up close, the destruction was even more heartbreaking. There were more people than buildings to support them, so some had set up temporary homes in pieces of buildings, blocking off holes and doorways the best way they could. The smell of death and refuse was in the air, along with the acrid scent of melted metal. Trying to ignore the weary, scared and hungry stares, the group kept going.

They reached the actual residential area of the village next, where dozens of people were busy working as fast as they could to rebuild houses and remove the remains of ones that couldn't be saved so new ones could be built. Tsunade quirked a brow as a familiar figure went walking right in front of them, a large load of planks slung over one shoulder, his massive bluish gray arm wrapped around it to keep it steady. He stopped to wipe the sweat from his face as he looked the party over. Then the Mist ninja grinned at Tsunade.

"Well, if it isn't Ninja-Aide. Grab a hammer, Hokage-sama, and show us some of that benevolence Konoha is so famous for."

Konan looked surprised to see him. "I thought you were going on vacation, Kisame-san."

"I'm still going, but first I had this favor I owed to a friend. So I'm helping him fix up his place before I leave."

"Very well." Konan said and started to walk on. She wasn't about to call him out on the fact that he had always kept to himself and had no friends to speak of, let along do favors for. And she'd hate to ruin his reputation by accusing him of having a giving nature.

Tsunade stopped her. "You do realize that as soon as Hidden Mist finds out he is here, they will send everything they have for him. If they're not on their way already. They have Sasuke's teammate, Suigetsu, in their custody. You'll never survive another large-scale attack."

"I will not refuse shelter to the shinobi who were offered the chance to walk away from an unsurvivable situation and didn't. If it weren't for them, Madara would have won and the rest of the villages would have been in ashes alongside us."

"Yeah," chuckled Kisame "except now it's build-your-own shelter." Still laughing, he walked away, the stack of lumber he had slung on his shoulder balanced perfectly. But no one missed the cautious gleam in his eyes or the shift in his position so that the beams he carried could easily be swung as a weapon if need be. He might be headed away from them, but every one of his senses were trained on their little group. If Konan's clone were to be destroyed, he would no doubt be on them in a heartbeat.

At the very end of the residential street, there was a small tent set up, with a long line of people waiting outside the entrance. Some of them were obviously injured, while others looked like they had been ill for quite some time. There was a woman sitting on a crate with a clipboard at the head of the line, scribbling away as she talked to the next person to go inside.

Seeing her interest, Konan pointed it out. "That's one of two mobile clinics Sakura set up before she left. We only have one doctor and three interns in the village, so she spread our resources out the best way possible, by sending two of the interns out to help the less serious patients while the doctor remains at what is left of the hospital with the third to care for the critical cases."

Tsunade watched the white flaps of the tent sway in a slight breeze that passed, the only pristine sight in her depressing surroundings. The sound of crying came from inside, and she stilled for several moments.

"So, where would you like to start searching?" Konan asked her.

Tsunade didn't answer, so Konan asked again. Then the Hokage turned her head and looked at Naruto, who was watching the kitten they had seen at the gate prance around Kisame's feet as he passed by on his way for more lumber. "Naruto, go back to the ANBU outside the village and tell them to set up camp. Stay with Sasuke and make sure he doesn't go anywhere. I'll be back in the morning." she ordered him.

Naruto abandoned watching the cat to stare at her. "But Baa-chan, what about Sakura?"

The only reply Naruto got was Tsunade's retreating back as she marched towards the tent, her ANBU guard on her heels. Seconds after she disappeared inside, shouting erupted just before the intern came rushing out, panic on his face as Tsunade followed him out. He rushed down the street, the Hokage calling after him.

"And don't come back until you have at least ten rounds of antibiotic! Do you _want_ an epidemic to break out?" Then she noticed Naruto and the other ANBU still standing where she had left them. "And you!" she pointed to them. "Get your asses over to Hoshigaki and see what he wants you to do. Naruto, if I see your face again until tomorrow morning, you'll be sitting next to Sasuke in my office! Now move it!"

There was an impressive scramble as she ducked back inside the tent, and seconds later bare street greeted Konan's eyes and there wasn't a Leaf ninja to be found. "I guess this means she believes me." Konan said to herself as sheets of paper began falling off her clone when the jutsu began dissipating. A Rain jounin settled himself outside the tent to keep an eye on their guests as Konan returned to assisting with the setup of a food line.

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The air was warm and dry as a set of footsteps echoed down the otherwise empty streets of Kumogakure, a miniscule counterpoint to the near constant lighting strikes decorating the sky overhead. The owner of the steps went unchallenged by all, but hardly unnoticed. In the shadows and on the rooftops, Cloud ANBU patrolled, nodding in respect to their leader as he passed. It was hardly the first time they had seen the Raikage out after hours. When he couldn't sleep, he would often head to the public dojo to train, or return to his office to catch up on anything he didn't finish by the end of the day.

Not bothering to turn on the light, the Raikage entered his office and made his way to his desk. The paperwork he needed was in the first drawer, right up front. He could find it if he were blind. Halfway across the room, he sensed another presence in the room, but didn't pause and give himself away. Immediately, he was angry. Who would dare to break into his office and believe they could walk away from it? Muscles tensing in preparation for a fight, he deftly slid a kunai from it's hiding place in his robes as he passed the spot he knew the intruder was hiding in.

Whirling swiftly, he struck out, the blade blinding for a moment as the light from a lightning bolt reflected off of it. Metal clanked against metal as the attack was blocked by another kunai. Another bolt ripped across the sky, revealing the face of the intruder as momentary light poured through the open window. The Raikage paused when he found himself staring into a pair of bright green eyes, framed by pink hair that looked much darker in the shadows of the room. His hard frown deepened.

"Don't think I'll go soft on you because you're a kunoichi. All assassins are dealt with without mercy." he growled at her.

"I'm not here to kill you." Sakura replied, but never lowered her weapon.

"Then why are you here?" he asked sternly as he used his larger size to push her back a half step.

"I made a promise to return this to you." she replied, holding out a pale blue ribbon in her other hand. The Raikage glanced down at the clan symbol on the fabric that he knew all too well. He stared at it for several seconds before taking the offered gift. If he hadn't been in the presence of an enemy, he might have wept on the spot. But he stayed calm, only the slightest of pain flickering across his face. Taking a step back, they lowered their weapons in unison, but not their guard. The tension in the room was heavy, until the Raikage spoke.

"You were the one to defeat Elle?"

"Yes."

"And Bee?"

"No."

The Raikage spared another glance to the ribbon dangling in his hand. "She was my niece."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Raikage-sama. I offered to heal her when the fight was over. She refused."

"I would expect no less of her."

Sakura wouldn't tell him how she cried over the girl's death, just as the Raikage wouldn't tell her that she had been his favorite niece, and she had lived with him for a short time while he assisted with her training. Now that everything was said and not said, the two shinobi stared at each other, trying to anticipate the other's next move. One wondering if she had some underlying motive that she hadn't revealed yet, and the other wondering if he would attack her despite her good intentions.

It was the Raikage who broke the silence first. Pointing to the window, he indicated that she should go out that way. "It takes exactly four minutes for my ANBU to assemble a pursuit team. If you are caught intruding in a hidden village without permission, kunoichi, you will be shown no leniency."

"Thank you, Raikage-sama." Sakura replied with a small bow before sliding the window open and disappearing into the night without looking back.

Crossing the swinging bridge at a dead run, Sakura reached Hidan, who was waiting impatiently on the other side, scythe gripped tightly in his fist. She never slowed up as she neared, but pointed ahead, indicating he should follow her as she raced past him. Taking off after her, it took a couple of seconds for him to match her stride. Pulling alongside as they ran, he took in the concentrated look on her face. He could tell nothing of what happened inside the village.

"Well, how did it go?" he asked, trying to keep the impatience from his voice.

"Better than expected." Sakura replied between breaths. "We have exactly one minute and thirty seconds until the hunter ANBU reach the bridge. Let's get moving."

"That means they won't catch us. Spoil all my fucking fun." Hidan muttered, swinging his scythe to rest against his back. Navigating around a series of sharp rocks, the couple disappeared into the night, using the sporadic lightning strikes to see by as they made their escape.

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Zetsu stood at the back of the conservatory, head pressed against the glass, hands braced on either side. He didn't speak, just stared at the wilted vegetation lying on the opposite side of the partition. It had been the ventilation system that had done it. The acid rain that Nagato had produced melted the screen on the roof and dripped down to the floor, forming a puddle that had found it's way into the soil and the root system of his most prized plant. It had probably taken no more than a few minutes before it was dead.

The worst part was that the flower hadn't even had a chance to produce a seed yet. That meant he would have to scour several countries to find another one, if there even was another one. If only it had gone to seed before this disaster...

"_Stupid fool._" he cursed himself. "_We should have kept that other seed._"

"**But we didn't. We gave it to **_**her**_**.**"

Zetsu lifted his head, and his eyes lit up. "_She knows plants. What if she kept it?_"

"**She probably killed herself with the poison.**"

"_Even so, the seed might have survived._"

"**We might go find out. But first we must leave this place. They will be looking for us.**"

"_Yes, we can't find it if we're stuck here. We can come back for the rest later._"

In agreement with himself, Zetsu turned away from the glass. Moving around the neglected plants to a cleared area of dirt, he took off his cloak and dropped it to the ground. Next came his ring, which landed in the damp earth with a dull thud. The sprinklers came on then, misting the plants and Zetsu's face with moisture. He took a deep breath of the rich air before forming the hand seals for his mayfly jutsu and sinking into the ground. His part in the Akatsuki was finished. He had known from the beginning that Madara would turn on them, and since he had not joined them in the battle, Konan would assume he was against them as well. He had no desire to stick around and see how such things would play out. He had his own interests to pursue now.

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Sakura walked into her bedroom, dropping the scroll that made her the official liaison between Rain and Leaf on the dresser as she went. Hidan stopped praying and looked up from his spot on the bed. Seeing the tired lines on her face and the grim way she held her mouth, he sat up.

"I take it those bastards from Konoha didn't sign the treaty?"

"No, they signed it. After three damn hours of arguing over me, you, Kisame, Madara, and everything else they could possibly think of."

Bending down, Sakura picked up Demon, who had tried to climb up her pants leg, and set him on her shoulder. He immediately began purring as she sat on the bed to take off her sandals. Hidan maneuvered into position behind her, and began lightly rubbing her back.

"And your friend?"

"Ino? She was pretty upset at first, but after I explained everything, she was really understanding."

"Hmm."

Sakura sighed as Hidan's fingers worked their magic, relaxing her. Before drowsiness began to take over, she lowered Demon to the floor before turning in Hidan's arms. The kitten growled in discontent before stalking under the bed. Straddling his lap, Sakura wrapped her arms around Hidan and lay her head on his chest. His heartbeat thumped steadily under her ear, and she closed her eyes to concentrate on it. Taking advantage of the exposed skin at the back of her neck, Hidan trailed his lips down the taunt muscle there. When he reached the curve of her shoulder, he lightly bit down, making Sakura's nails dig into his back as she moaned softly into his skin. He decided, as he lay back, pulling her down on top of him, that he definitely needed more than five hundred years. Jashin was just too cruel.

The End

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A/N: Yeah, you got the cliché fluff at the end. I almost left it out, but couldn't resist. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Shades of Crimson. Please, let me know what your thoughts are on both the final chapter and the story overall. Feedback enables me to make the next story even better!

Much love to each and every one of you,

~Onileo


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Just wanted to let you know that the first chapter of the sequel is up. And here is a preview of the first scene. You know, to make this chapter legitimate. ;)

Death's Right Hand

Preview

Beneath a sturdy overhang in a quiet corner of Amegakure, two old men sat drinking green tea and watching the rain. They wondered quietly at the weather that was back to normal after a nine month stint of sunshine. Everyone that knew anything about it suspected that the return of the constant downpours coincided with the birth of Konan's son, Nagato, but not a breath of it escaped their lips for fear of breaking the tenuous peace that had settled over the village after the death of Uchiha Madara.

…Well, it was mostly peaceful.

Thankfully, there were few people on the sidewalk at this time of the afternoon, because moments later, a Rain shinobi came barreling down the sidewalk, hands to his mouth shouting at the bystanders who had stopped to stare at him.

"Code 713! Code 713! All civilians are encouraged to seek shelter indoors immediately!"

The ninja looked back over his shoulder at something hidden by a building, eyes widening in fear before he increased speed and darted around the block. The old men never made a move to rise or even glance at what had the ninja running scared. The older of the two merely shook his head and sighed.

"Those two just can't fight like a normal couple, can they?"

The other grunted in agreement before lifting his cup to his lips and taking a small sip. His wrinkled dry lips curled into amusement as the pair in question came into view. Hidan was backpedaling right down the middle of the street, the rain streaming down his body to mix with the blood coating his bare torso from several large wounds. His silver hair was darkened when soaked, and lay plastered against his head. His hands were up in a placating gesture, but the expression on his face was unrepentant. Just out of arm's reach in front of him was Sakura, stalking after him, green eyes blazing, her hair similarly glued to her head. Her fists were clamped to her bloody sides, and with each measured step, the aura of her unbridled chakra grew darker and larger.

Hidan started to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Sakura slammed her fist into the ground, sending chunks of asphalt spraying everywhere. "Shut the hell up!" she yelled at him. "Every time you open your mouth, something bad happens!"

Finally noticing the onlookers, and the fact that his masculinity was in trouble, Hidan stopped. This turned out to be a mistake as well, because seconds later he lay sprawled in the street on his back, right cheek red and burning from the rapid swelling. He lay there for several dazed moments as Sakura loomed over him, her lips set in a hard line as she glared down at him. It was then that he noticed how wet her eyes were, bright and shining as she held back her tears. Then in a blur of pink and spraying droplets she turned and stomped off.

Climbing to his feet, Hidan looked over at the only other occupants of the street, two old men drinking tea under an awning. Throwing his hands in the air, he nearly yelled at them. "Why does she have to be so much _fucking_ trouble?!"


End file.
